The CORAL deductive system

CORAL is a deductive system that supports a rich declarative language, and an interface to C++, which allows for a combination of declarative and imperative programming. A CORAL declarative program can be organized as a collection of interacting modules. CORAL supports a wide range of evaluation strategies, and automatically chooses an efficient strategy for each module in the program. Users can guide query optimization by selecting from a wide range of control choices. The CORAL system provides imperative constructs to update, insert, and delete facts. Users can program in a combination of declarative CORAL and C++ extended with CORAL primitives. A high degree of extensibility is provided by allowing C++ programmers to use the class structure of C++ to enhance the CORAL implementation. CORAL provides support for main-memory data and, using the EXODUS storage manager, disk-resident data. We present a comprehensive view of the system from broad design goals, the language, and the architecture, to language interfaces and implementation details.Part of this article was presented at the International Conference on Very Large Databases, Vancouver, Canada, 1992; and at the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on the Management of Data, San Diego, California, 1993b.When the work was performed, Dr. Srivastava and Dr. Sudarshan were Research Assistants at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.     

Aggregate Queries Over Conditional Tables

Conditional tables have been identified long ago as a way to capture unknown or incomplete information. However, queries over conditional tables have never been allowed to involve column functions such as aggregates. In this paper, the theory of conditional tables is extended in this direction, and it is shown that a strong representation system exists which has the closure property that the result of an aggregate query over a conditional table can be again represented by a conditional table. It turns out, however, that the number of tuples in a conditional table representing the result of an aggregate query may grow exponentially in the number of variables in the table. This phenomenon is analyzed in detail, and tight upper and lower bounds concerning the number of tuples contained in the result of an aggregate query are given. Finally, representation techniques are sketched that approximate aggregation results in tables of reasonable size.     

Institutions of Variable Truth Values:An Approach in the Ordered Style

The concept of institution of variable truth values is introduced and some main results about institutions are generalized.In particular,some properties of institutions of variable truth values preserved by change of truth values are established.     

The power of languages for the manipulation of complex values

Various models and languages for describing and manipulating hierarchically structured data have been proposed. Algebraic, calculus-based, and logic-programming oriented languages have all been considered. This article presents a general model for complex values (i.e., values with hierarchical structures), and languages for it based on the three paradigms. The algebraic language generalizes those presented in the literature; it is shown to be related to the functional, style of programming advocated by Backus (1978). The notion of domain independence (from relational databases) is defined, and syntactic restrictions (referred to as safety conditions) on calculus queries are formulated to guarantee domain independence. The main results are: The domain-independent calculus, the safe calculus, the algebra, and the logic-programming oriented language have equivalent expressive power. In particular, recursive queries, such as the transitive closure, can be expressed in each of the languages. For this result, the algebra needs the powerset operation. A more restricted version of safety is presented, such that the restricted safe calculus is equivalent to the algebra without the powerset. The results are extended to the case where arbitrary functions and predicates are used in the languages.     

多媒体对象查询语言及其查询处理

文章研究了多媒体数据库的查询需求,提出结构化的多媒体对象查询语言MOQL(multi-media object query language).它能够支持基于类型、结构特征、同步关系、时态关系和内容信息的多媒体查询.以DB2数据库为存储机制,定义了一组代数算子和变换规则,利用它们可以将用户定义的MOQL查询变换为代数表达式,进行代数优化,并将代数查询表达式转换为能够在DB2数据库上运行的DB2SQL和C++查询过程.     

Using Multivalued Logic in Relational Database Containing Null Value

In this paper,several kinds of multivalued logic for relational database and their developing process are presented on the basis of null value‘s semantics.A new 5 valued logic is led into relational database containing null value.The feasibility and necessity of using 5 valued logic are expounded.Comparative calculation and logical calculation under 5 valued logic are defined at the end of the paper.     

Query answering via cooperative data inference

This paper proposes the use of accessible information (data/knowledge) to infer inaccessible data in a distributed database system. Inference rules are extracted from databases by means of knowledge discovery techniques. These rules can derive inaccessible data due to a site failure or network partition in a distributed system. Such query answering requires combining incomplete and partial information from multiple sources. The derived answer may be exact or approximate. Our inference process involves two phases to reason with reconstructed information. One phase involves using local rules to infer inaccessible data. A second phase involves merging information from different sites. We shall call such reasoning processes cooperative data inference. Since the derived answer may be incomplete, new algebraic tools are developed for supporting operations on incomplete information. A weak criterion called toleration is introduced for evaluating the inferred results. The conditions that assure the correctness of combining partial results, known as sound inference paths, are developed. A solution is presented for terminating an iterative reasoning process on derived data from multiple knowledge sources. The proposed approach has been implemented on a cooperative distributed database testbed, CoBase, at UCLA. The experimental results validate the feasibility of this proposed concept and can significantly improve the availability of distributed knowledge base/database systems.List of notation Mapping - --< Logical implication - = Symbolic equality - ==< Inference path - Satisfaction - Toleration - Undefined (does not exist) - Variable-null (may or may not exist) - ^* Subtuple relationship - ^* s-membership - s-containment - Open subtuple - Open s-membership - Open s-containment - _P Open base - P Program - I Interpretation - DIP Data inference program - t Tuples - R Relations - Ø Empty interpretation - Open s-union - Open s-interpretation - Set of mapping from the set of objects to the set of closed objects - W Set of attributes - _W Set of sound inference paths on the set of attributes W - Set of relational schemas in a DB that satisfy MVD - ⁺ Range closure of W wrt      

Natural language query processing in a temporal database

This paper addresses some of the issues that arise in representing temporal information in the database context. It deals not only with the explicit representation of temporal information but with mechanisms for reasoning with it as well. It addresses the issue of processing natural language queries with explicit temporal references. The three issues of knowledge representation, natural language processing and query processing are addressed using the axiomatic framework based on equational logic.     

模糊推理算法及信息不确定条件下的诊断应用

针对系统动态特征信息的随机性、模糊性和不完备性，借助模糊数学理论的逻辑推理方法，构造一种可实现农作物病虫害模糊推理诊断模型，给出在已知症状信息条件下的求解算法。仿真算例表明，模糊逻辑推理诊断模型及算法能够有效完成农作物病虫害在多因素、多症状及症状信息不完备条件下的诊断推理，具有一定智能化程度、简单实用等主要技术特点，表现出一定的诊断可靠性。     

面向对象数据库的查询优化

查询优化一般分为逻辑和物理两层，但两者密切相关．在一个具体系统的实现中，若把它们截然分开会影响优化效果，而把它们有机结合起来则更佳．本文在联系代数的基础上探讨该问题，综合考虑了逻辑与物理２个方面，给出了面向对象数据库系统中的查询优化算法.     

面向对象数据库中基于有向图的联系代数

本文提出了基于基有向图的联系代数，并给出了一个优化联系代数表达的算法。本文所提出的改进较其原形式能 更精确地反映面向对象模型的实质，更有利于对象的查询处理与优化。     

An efficient method for estimating null values in relational databases

Generally, a database system containing null value attributes will not operate properly. This study proposes an efficient and systematic approach for estimating null values in a relational database which utilizes clustering algorithms to cluster data, and a regression coefficient to determine the degree of influence between different attributes. Two databases are used to verify the proposed method: (1) Human resource database; and (2) Waugh's database. Furthermore, the mean of absolute error rate (MAER) and average error are used as evaluation criteria to compare the proposed method with other methods. It demonstrates that the proposed method is superior to existing methods for estimating null values in relational database systems. Jia-Wen Wang was born on September 5, 1978, in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. She received the M.S. degree in information management from the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin, Taiwan, in 2003. Since 2003, she has been a PhD degree student in Information Management Department at the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. Her current research interests include fuzzy systems, database systems, and artificial intelligence. Ching-Hsue Cheng received the B.S. degree in mathematics from Chinese Military Academy, Taiwan, in 1982, the M.S. degree in applied mathematics from the Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan, in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree in system engineering and management from National Defence University, Taiwan, in 1994. Currently, he is a professor of the Department of Information Management, National YunLin University of Technology & Science. His research interests are in decision science, soft computing, software reliability, performance evaluation, and fuzzy time series. He has published more than 120 refereed papers in these areas. He has been a principal investigator and project leader in a number of projects with government, and other research-sponsoring agencies.     

一个实现对象查询语言的形式化基础

在基于CORBA(common object request broker)的面向对象多数据库系统SCOPE/CIMS中，作者选择了对象数据库管理组ODMG(object database management group)提出的对象数据库标准ODMG-93的OQL(object query language)作为全局查询语言.为此，提出了一种实现OQL的形式化基础,包括适合建模OQL的一种对象演算和一种对象代数；对象演算的规范化规则和规范化步骤；对象演算与对象代数的等价映射规则及转换策略.     

Extending the relational model to deal with probabilistic data

According to the soundness and completeness of information in databases,the expressive form and the semantics of incomplete information are discussed in this paper.On the basis of the discussion,the current studies on incomplete data in relational databases are reviewed.In order to represent stochastic uncertainty in most general sense in the real world,probabilistic data are introduced into relational databases.An extended relational data model is presented to express and manipulate probabilistic data and the operations in relational algebra based on the extended model are defined in this paper.     

Query facility for synthesis-based prototype universal relation (SPUR) system

Recently, considerable interest has been shown in the automation of database design. The paper discusses the query facility for an experimental prototype of a database management system (the SPUR system) based on the universal relation concept, which removes some logical database design details from the human designer. The basic motivation for the study as a whole is to make databases easier to develop and use. The query language of the SPUR system is described and its power and correctness are explored through the use of case studies. The feasibility of implementing such a query language is established, although the user, perhaps not an end-user in this case, needs to have a good understanding of database terminology to use the system effectively.     

Fixpoint and While Temporal Query Languages

The article investigates the expressive power of implicit temporalquery languages. These languages are designed while assumingtemporal data modelled as sequences of data. So far, two stylesof implicit temporal query languages are known: T-WHILE likelanguages are based on a temporal extension of WHILE with leftand right moves; µTL like languages are a fixpoint extensionof TL. This article focusses on comparing the expressive powerof T-WHILE style languages and µTL languages and providescomplementary results with respect to Abiteboul et al. (1999,J. Comput. System Sci.,58, 54–68). The main contributionis the proof of the equivalence of the three following temporallanguages: the non-inflationary variant of µTL, the languageT-WHILE and more surprisingly the language T-FIXPOINT.