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Null Values in Relational Databases and Sure Information Answers

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Semantics in Databases (SiD 2001)

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Abstract

Null values are ubiquitous in database applications. There is, however, no common agreement upon how to deal with null values, neither in practice nor in theory. In this paper, the null value problem is revisited with special emphasis on answers representing sure information with respect to possible world semantics. The focus is on the unknown and the no information interpretation of null values. A new semantics for the no information interpretation of nulls is proposed taking into account a problem arising in connection with the closed world assumption. Results are applied to the query language SQL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Informatik und Prakt, Mathematik Universität Kiel, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Klein Hans-Joachim

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  1. Klein Hans-Joachim
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science, Carleton University, Herzberg Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, K1S 5B6, Ottawa, Canada

    Leopoldo Bertossi

  2. Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 127, 1364, Budapest, Hungary

    Gyula O. H. Katona

  3. Department of Information Systems, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Klaus-Dieter Schewe

  4. Institute of Computer Science, Brandenburg University of Technology at Cottbus, P.O. Box 10 13 44, 03013, Cottbus, Germany

    Bernhard Thalheim

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Hans-Joachim, K. (2003). Null Values in Relational Databases and Sure Information Answers. In: Bertossi, L., Katona, G.O.H., Schewe, KD., Thalheim, B. (eds) Semantics in Databases. SiD 2001. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2582. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36596-6_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36596-6_7

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-00957-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-36596-9

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