Conceptual schemas with abstractions making flat conceptual schemas more comprehensible |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, 410081 Changsha, China;2. Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, 410081 Changsha, China;1. Information, Operations and Management Sciences Department, TBS Business School, 1 Place Alphonse Jourdain, 31068 Toulouse, France;2. Operations and Information Management Department, Aston Business School, College of Business and Social Science, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom;3. New College of the Humanities Northeastern University, E1W 1LP London, United Kingdom;4. Work and Organisation Department, Aston Business School, College of Business and Social Science, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom;5. Marketing Department, TBS Business School, Lot. La Colline II, Route de Nouasseur, Casablanca, Morocco |
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| Abstract: | Flat graphical, conceptual modeling techniques are widely accepted as visually effective ways in which to specify and communicate the conceptual data requirements of an information system. Conceptual schema diagrams provide modelers with a picture of the salient structures underlying the modeled universe of discourse, in a form that can readily be understood by and communicated to users, programmers and managers. When complexity and size of applications increase, however, the success of these techniques in terms of comprehensibility and communicability deteriorates rapidly.This paper proposes a method to offset this deterioration, by adding abstraction layers to flat conceptual schemas. We present an algorithm to recursively derive higher levels of abstraction from a given (flat) conceptual schema. The driving force of this algorithm is a hierarchy of conceptual importance among the elements of the universe of discourse. |
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