Using KBS verification techniques to demonstrate the existence of rule anomalies in ADBs

As the field of verification and validation for knowledge-based systems (KBSs) has matured, much information, technology, and theory has become available. Though not all of the problems with respect to KBSs have been solved, many have been identified with solutions that can be used in an analogous manner in situations where the application is not necessarily a traditional KBS. As one example, the “active” component in an active database (ADB) consists of rules that execute as a result of database accesses and updates. In this paper, we demonstrate that anomalies found to impact the correctness of a KBS can also exist in ADBs. We first compare the rule structure of a KBS with the rule structures of various ADBs. To show their existence, we convert the rule syntax of the ADBs into a consistent format for analysis and anomaly detection. Once converted, we apply KBS verification techniques to isolate these anomalies. Due to the more increasing use of triggered rules in ADBs, this work illustrates the danger these anomalies can pose and the ever increasing need for ADB verification techniques to exist.