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Symposium on Mathematical Fundamentals of Database Systems

MFDBS 1991: MFDBS 91 pp 104–118Cite as

Solving ambiguities in updating deductive databases

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 495))

Abstract

In a Datalog database, updates to intensionally defined relations give rise to problems similar to those related to view updates: it is often difficult to implement them in an unambiguous way by means of updates to base relations. In this paper we show how such ambiguities can be solved at operation time by requiring exactly the missing information. We first formalize a declarative, model-theoretic semantics of updates, with potential, minimal, and deterministic results; then, we present an operational, proof-theoretic approach, based on SLD-resolution, that turns out to be equivalent to the declarative one; finally, algorithms to correctly perform the updates, based on the procedural semantics, are given. When, while performing an update, different solutions can be followed, the needed information to solve the ambiguity is required.

Work supported by Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, within the project: “Metodi formali e strumenti per basi di dati evolute” and by CNR, “PF Sistemi Informatici e Calcolo Parallelo, Sottoprogetto 5, LRC LOGIDATA+”.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dip. di Informatica e Sistemistica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Salaria, 113, 00198, Roma, Italy

    Paolo Atzeni

  2. IASI-CNR, Viale Manzoni, 30, 00185, Roma, Italy

    Riccardo Torlone

Authors
  1. Paolo Atzeni
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  2. Riccardo Torlone
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Editor information

Bernhard Thalheim János Demetrovics H. -D. Gerhardt

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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Atzeni, P., Torlone, R. (1991). Solving ambiguities in updating deductive databases. In: Thalheim, B., Demetrovics, J., Gerhardt, H.D. (eds) MFDBS 91. MFDBS 1991. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 495. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-54009-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-54009-1_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-54009-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47348-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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