Semantic Database Modeling: Survey, Applications, and Research Issues.

@article{DBLP:journals/csur/HullK87,
  author    = {Richard Hull and
               Roger King},
  title     = {Semantic Database Modeling: Survey, Applications, and Research
               Issues},
  journal   = {ACM Comput. Surv.},
  volume    = {19},
  number    = {3},
  year      = {1987},
  pages     = {201-260},
  ee        = {db/journals/csur/HullK87.html},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

Most common database management systems represent information in a simple record-based format. Semantic modeling provides richer data structuring capabilities for database applications. In particular, research in this area has articulated a number of constructs that provide mechanisms for representing structurally complex interrelations among data typically arising in commercial applications. In general terms, semantic modeling complements work on knowledge representation (in artificial intelligence) and on the new generation of database models based on the object-oriented paradigm of programming languages.

This paper presents an in-depth discussion of semantic data modeling. It reviews the philosophical motivations of semantic models, including the need for high-level modeling abstractions and the reduction of semantic overloading of data type constructors. It then provides a tutorial introduction to the primary components of semantic models, which are the explicit representation of objects, attributes of and relationships among objects, type constructors for building complex types, ISA relationships, and derived schema components. Next, a survey of the prominent semantic models in the literature is presented. Further, since a broad area of research has developed around semantic modeling, a number of related topics based on these models are discussed, including data languages, graphical interfaces, theoretical investigations, and physical implementation strategies.

Copyright © 1987 by the ACM, Inc., used by permission. Permission to make digital or hard copies is granted provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or direct commercial advantage, and that copies show this notice on the first page or initial screen of a display along with the full citation.

ACM SIGMOD Anthology

• Windows: Click the letter of your CD drive
  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Mac: Click here
• UNIX/LINUX: mount the CD and click on the path of your mount point:
  /Anthology/An4-1 or /cdrom

• Windows: Click the letter of your CD drive
  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Mac: Click here
• UNIX/LINUX: mount the DVD and click on the path of your mount point:
  /Anthology/aDVD2 or /dvd

Online Edition: ACM Digital Library

References

[AbB87]

Serge Abiteboul, Catriel Beeri: The Power of Languages for the Manipulation of Complex Values. VLDB J. 4(4): 727-794(1995)

[AbB84]

Serge Abiteboul, Nicole Bidoit: Non First Normal Form Relations: An Algebra Allowing Data Restructuring. J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 33(3): 361-393(1986)

[AbH85]

Serge Abiteboul, Richard Hull: Update Propagation in the IFO Database Model. FODO 1985: 319-331

[AbH86]

Serge Abiteboul, Richard Hull: Restructuring of Complex Objects and Office Forms. ICDT 1986: 54-72

[AbH87]

Serge Abiteboul, Richard Hull: IFO: A Formal Semantic Database Model. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 12(4): 525-565(1987)

[Abr74]

Jean-Raymond Abrial: Data Semantics. IFIP Working Conference Data Base Management 1974: 1-60

[AfM84]

...

[Aik85]

...

[ACO85]

Antonio Albano, Luca Cardelli, Renzo Orsini: Galileo: A Strongly-Typed, Interactive Conceptual Language. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 10(2): 230-260(1985)

[AOO85]

...

[AnH87]

Tim Andrews, Craig Harris: Combining Language and Database Advances in an Object-Oriented Development Environment. OOPSLA 1987: 430-440

[AtB87]

Malcolm P. Atkinson, Peter Buneman: Types and Persistence in Database Programming Languages. ACM Comput. Surv. 19(2): 105-190(1987)

[AtK83]

...

[AtP86]

Paolo Atzeni, Douglas Stott Parker Jr.: Formal Properties of Net-Based Knowledge Representation Schemes. ICDE 1986: 700-706

[Bac78]

John W. Backus: Can Programming Be Liberated From the von Neumann Style? A Functional Style and its Algebra of Programs. Commun. ACM 21(8): 613-641(1978)

[BLN86]

Carlo Batini, Maurizio Lenzerini, Shamkant B. Navathe: A Comparative Analysis of Methodologies for Database Schema Integration. ACM Comput. Surv. 18(4): 323-364(1986)

[BaK85]

Don S. Batory, Won Kim: Modeling Concepts for VLSI CAD Objects. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 10(3): 322-346(1985)

[BBG]

Don S. Batory, J. R. Barnett, J. F. Garza, K. P. Smith, K. Tsukuda, B. C. Twichell, T. E. Wise: GENESIS: An Extensible Database Management System. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. 14(11): 1711-1730(1988)

[BKK86]

Daniel G. Bobrow, Kenneth M. Kahn, Gregor Kiczales, Larry Masinter, Mark Stefik, Frank Zdybel: CommonLoops: Merging Lisp and Object-Oriented Programming. OOPSLA 1986: 17-29

[Bor85]

Alexander Borgida: Features of Languages for the Development of Information Systems at the Conceptual Level. IEEE Software 2(1): 63-72(1985)

[BPP76]

Giampio Bracchi, Paolo Paolini, Giuseppe Pelagatti: Binary Logical Associations in Data Modelling. IFIP Working Conference on Modelling in Data Base Management Systems 1976: 125-148

[BrS85]

Ronald J. Brachman, James G. Schmolze: An Overview of the KL-ONE Knowledge Representation System. Cognitive Science 9(2): 171-216(1985)

[Bro84]

Michael L. Brodie: On the Development of Data Models. On Conceptual Modelling (Intervale) 1982: 19-47

[BrR84]

Michael L. Brodie, Dzenan Ridjanovic: On the Design and Specification of Database Transactions. On Conceptual Modelling (Intervale) 1982: 277-312

[BMS84]

Michael L. Brodie, John Mylopoulos, Joachim W. Schmidt (Eds.): On Conceptual Modelling, Perspectives from Artificial Intelligence, Databases, and Programming Languages, Book resulting from the Intervale Workshop 1982. Topics in Information Systems Springer 1984, ISBN 3-540-90842-0
Contents

[BrP83]

Robert Brown, Douglas Stott Parker Jr.: LAURA: A Formal Data Model and her Logical Design Methodology. VLDB 1983: 206-218

[BFN82]

Peter Buneman, Robert E. Frankel, Rishiyur S. Nikhil: An Implementation Technique for Database Query Languages. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 7(2): 164-186(1982)

[CDR86]

Michael J. Carey, David J. DeWitt, Joel E. Richardson, Eugene J. Shekita: Object and File Management in the EXODUS Extensible Database System. VLDB 1986: 91-100

[CGT75]

...

[CDF83]

Arvola Chan, Umeshwar Dayal, Stephen Fox, Daniel R. Ries: Supporting a Semantic Data Model in a Distributed Database System. VLDB 1983: 354-363

[CDF82]

Arvola Chan, Sy Danberg, Stephen Fox, Wen-Te K. Lin, Anil Nori, Daniel R. Ries: Storage and Access Structures to Support a Semantic Data Model. VLDB 1982: 122-130

[Che76]

Peter P. Chen: The Entity-Relationship Model - Toward a Unified View of Data. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 1(1): 9-36(1976)

[Cod79]

E. F. Codd: Extending the Database Relational Model to Capture More Meaning. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(4): 397-434(1979)

[CoP84]

Stavros S. Cosmadakis, Christos H. Papadimitriou: Updates of Relational Views. J. ACM 31(4): 742-760(1984)

[DDG85]

...

[Dat81]

C. J. Date: An Introduction to Database Systems, 3rd Edition. Addison-Wesley 1981

[DaH84]

Umeshwar Dayal, Hai-Yann Hwang: View Definition and Generalization for Database Integration in a Multidatabase System. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. 10(6): 628-645(1984)

[DHP74]

Claude Deheneffe, Henri Hennebert, W. Paulus: Relational Model for a Data Base. IFIP Congress 1974: 1022-1025

[DKL85]

Nigel Derrett, William Kent, Peter Lyngbæk: Some Aspects of Operations in an Object-Oriented Database. IEEE Database Eng. Bull. 8(4): 66-74(1985)

[Fag77]

Ronald Fagin: Multivalued Dependencies and a New Normal Form for Relational Databases. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 2(3): 262-278(1977)

[FKM85]

David Farmer, Roger King, David Myers: The Semantic Database Constructor. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. 11(7): 583-591(1985)

[FiK85]

Richard Fikes, Tom Kehler: The Role of Frame-Based Representation in Reasoning. Commun. ACM 28(9): 904-920(1985)

[Fin79]

...

[FiT83]

...

[Fog84]

Dennis Fogg: Lessons from a "Living In a Database" Graphical Query Interface. SIGMOD Conference 1984: 100-106

[FoD82]

...

[GoR83]

Adele Goldberg, David Robson: Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation. Addison-Wesley 1983

[GGK85]

Kenneth J. Goldman, Sally A. Goldman, Paris C. Kanellakis, Stanley B. Zdonik: ISIS: Interface for a Semantic Information System. SIGMOD Conference 1985: 328-342

[Gut77]

John V. Guttag: Abstract Data Type and the Development of Data Structures. Commun. ACM 20(6): 396-404(1977)

[HaL74]

Jean-Luc Hainaut, Baudouin Le Charlier: An Extensible Semantic Model of Data Base and Its Data language. IFIP Congress 1974: 1026-1030

[HaB80]

Michael Hammer, B. Berkowitz: DIAL: A Programming Language for Data Intensive Applications. SIGMOD Conference 1980: 75-92

[HaM81]

Michael Hammer, Dennis McLeod: Database Description with SDM: A Semantic Database Model. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(3): 351-386(1981)

[HeK81]

...

[HuK86]

Scott E. Hudson, Roger King: CACTIS: A Database System for Specifying Functinonally-Defined Data. OODBS 1986: 26-37

[HuK87]

Scott E. Hudson, Roger King: Object-Oriented Database Support for Software Environments. SIGMOD Conference 1987: 491-503

[Hul87]

...

[HuY84]

Richard Hull, Chee-Keng Yap: The Format Model: A Theory of database Organization. J. ACM 31(3): 518-544(1984)

[IsB84]

David J. Israel, Ronald J. Brachman: Some Remarks on the Semantics of Representation Languages. On Conceptual Modelling (Intervale) 1982: 119-146

[JaS82]

Gerhard Jaeschke, Hans-Jörg Schek: Remarks on the Algebra of Non First Normal Form Relations. PODS 1982: 124-138

[KeC83]

...

[Ken78]

...

[Ken79]

William Kent: Limitations of Record-Based Information Models. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(1): 107-131(1979)

[KeP76]

...

[KKT76]

Larry Kerschberg, Anthony C. Klug, Dennis Tsichritzis: A Taxonomy of Data Models. VLDB 1976: 43-64

[KhC86]

Setrag Khoshafian, George P. Copeland: Object Identity. OOPSLA 1986: 406-416

[Kin84]

...

[KiM82]

Roger King, Dennis McLeod: The Event Database Specifications Model. JCDKB 1982: 299-322

[KiM84]

Roger King, Dennis McLeod: A Unified Model and Methodology for Conceptual Database Design. On Conceptual Modelling (Intervale) 1982: 313-327

[KiM85a]

Roger King, Dennis McLeod: A Database Design Methodology and Tool for Information Systems. ACM Trans. Inf. Syst. 3(1): 2-21(1985)

[KiM85b]

Roger King, Dennis McLeod: Semantic Data Models. Principles of Database Design (I) 1985: 115-150

[Kup85]

...

[KuV84]

Gabriel M. Kuper, Moshe Y. Vardi: A New Approach to Database Logic. PODS 1984: 86-96

[KuV85]

Gabriel M. Kuper, Moshe Y. Vardi: On the Expressive Power of the Logical Data Model (Preliminary Report). SIGMOD Conference 1985: 180-187

[LaR82]

Terry A. Landers, Ronni Rosenberg: An Overview of MULTIBASE. DDB 1982: 153-184

[Len87]

Maurizio Lenzerini: Covering and Disjointness Constraints in Type Networks. ICDE 1987: 386-393

[LSA77]

Barbara Liskov, Alan Snyder, Russell R. Atkinson, Craig Schaffert: Abstraction Mechanisms in CLU. Commun. ACM 20(8): 564-576(1977)

[Lyk86]

Peter Lyngbæk, William Kent: A Data Modeling Methodology for the Design and Implementation of Information Systems. OODBS 1986: 6-17

[LyV87]

Peter Lyngbæk, Victor Vianu: Mapping a Semantic Database Model to the Relational Model. SIGMOD Conference 1987: 132-142

[Mac85]

Robert M. MacGregor: ARIEL - A Semantic Front-End to Relational DBMSs. VLDB 1985: 305-315

[MSO86]

David Maier, Jacob Stein, Allen Otis, Alan Purdy: Development of an Object-Oriented DBMS. OOPSLA 1986: 472-482

[Mak77]

Akifumi Makinouchi: A Consideration on Normal Form of Not-Necessarily-Normalized Relation in the Relational Data Model. VLDB 1977: 447-453

[MaD86]

Frank Manola, Umeshwar Dayal: PDM: An Object-Oriented Data Model. OODBS 1986: 18-25

[MaP86]

Joan Peckham, Fred J. Maryanski: Semantic Data Models. ACM Comput. Surv. 20(3): 153-189(1988)

[Min84]

...

[Moo86]

David A. Moon: Object-Oriented Programming with Flavors. OOPSLA 1986: 1-8

[Myl80]

John Mylopoulos: An Overview of Knowledge Representation. Workshop on Data Abstraction, Databases and Conceptual Modelling 1980: 5-12

[MBW80]

John Mylopoulos, Philip A. Bernstein, Harry K. T. Wong: A Language Facility for Designing Database-Intensive Applications. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 5(2): 185-207(1980)

[MBG86]

...

[NEL86]

Shamkant B. Navathe, Ramez Elmasri, James A. Larson: Integrating User Views in Database Design. IEEE Computer 19(1): 50-62(1986)

[Nik84]

...

[OY82]

Colm Ó'Dúnlaing, Chee-Keng Yap: Generic Transformation of Data Structures. FOCS 1982: 186-195

[Ris85]

...

[Ris86]

...

[RoC87]

T. R. Rogers, R. G. G. Cattell: Entity-Relationship Database User Interfaces. ER 1987: 353-365

[RoY84]

...

[RoS79]

Lawrence A. Rowe, Kurt A. Shoens: Data Abstractions, Views and Updates in RIGEL. SIGMOD Conference 1979: 71-81

[Sch80]

...

[Sen75]

Michael E. Senko: Information Systems Records, Relations, Sets, Entities, and Things. Inf. Syst. 1(1): 3-13(1975)

[Shi81]

David W. Shipman: The Functional Data Model and the Data Language DAPLEX. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 6(1): 140-173(1981)

[Sho82]

Arie Shoshani: Statistical Databases: Characteristics, Problems, and some Solutions. VLDB 1982: 208-222

[Sik77]

...

[SmS77]

John Miles Smith, Diane C. P. Smith: Database Abstractions: Aggregation and Generalization. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 2(2): 105-133(1977)

[SFL81]

...

[SBD81]

...

[SBM83]

Mark Stefik, Daniel G. Bobrow, Sanjay Mittal, Lynn Conway: Knowledge Programming in Loops: Report on an Experimental Course. AI Magazine 4(3): 3-13(1983)

[StR86]

Michael Stonebraker, Lawrence A. Rowe: The Design of Postgres. SIGMOD Conference 1986: 340-355

[SWK76]

Michael Stonebraker, Eugene Wong, Peter Kreps, Gerald Held: The Design and Implementation of INGRES. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 1(3): 189-222(1976)

[Su83]

Stanley Y. W. Su: SAM*: A Semantic Association Model for Corporate and Scientific/Statistical Databases. Inf. Sci. 29(2-3): 151-199(1983)

[Su86]

Stanley Y. W. Su: Modeling Integrated Manufacturing Data with SAM*. IEEE Computer 19(1): 34-49(1986)

[Su80]

Stanley Y. W. Su, Der Her Lo: A Semantic Association Model for Conceptual Design. ER 1979: 169-192

[SK88]

...

[TYF86]

Toby J. Teorey, Dongqing Yang, James P. Fry: A Logical Design Methodology for Relational Databases Using the Extended Entity-Relationship Model. ACM Comput. Surv. 18(2): 197-222(1986)

[TsK77]

...

[TsL82]

...

[TsZ84]

Shalom Tsur, Carlo Zaniolo: An Implementation of GEM - Supporting a Semantic Data Model on a Relational Back-End. SIGMOD Conference 1984: 286-295

[Ull82]

Jeffrey D. Ullman: Principles of Database Systems, 2nd Edition. Computer Science Press 1982, ISBN 0-914894-36-6

[Ull87]

Jeffrey D. Ullman: Database Theory: Past and Future. PODS 1987: 1-10

[UrD86]

Susan Darling Urban, Lois M. L. Delcambre: An Analysis of the Structural, Dynamic, and Temporal Aspects of Semantic Data Models. ICDE 1986: 382-389

[VeB82]

...

[Via87]

Victor Vianu: Dynamic functional dependencies and database aging. J. ACM 34(1): 28-59(1987)

[Was79]

Anthony I. Wasserman: The Data Management Facilities of PLAIN. SIGMOD Conference 1979: 60-70

[WiE80]

Gio Wiederhold, Ramez Elmasri: The Structural Model for Database Design. ER 1979: 237-258

[WoK82]

Harry K. T. Wong, Ivy Kuo: GUIDE: Graphical User Interface for Database Exploration. VLDB 1982: 22-32

[Zaniolo 1976]

...

[Zaniolo 1983]

Carlo Zaniolo: The Database Language GEM. SIGMOD Conference 1983: 207-218

[Zlo77]

Moshé M. Zloof: Query-by-Example: A Data Base Language. IBM Systems Journal 16(4): 324-343(1977)