Abstract
We adopt a formalism, similar to terminological logic languages developed in AI knowledge representation systems, to express the semantics of complex objects data models. Two main extensions are proposed with respect to previous proposed models: the conjunction operator, which permits the expression multiple inheritance between types (classes) as a semantic property and the introduction in the schema of derived (classes), similar to views. These extensions, together with the adoption of suitable semantics able for dealing with cyclic descriptions, allow for the automatic placement of classes in a specialization hierarchy. Mapping schemata to nondeterministic finite automata we face and solve interesting problems like detection of emptiness of a classextension and computation of a specialization ordering for the greatest, least and descriptive semantics. As queries can be expressed as derived classes these results also apply to intentional query answering and query validation.
This work was partially supported by the Italian project Sistemi informatici e Calcolo Parallelo, subproject 5, objective LOGIDATA+ of the National Research Council (CNR).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Atzeni, P., Cacace, F., Ceri, S., and Tanca L. The LOGIDATA+ model. Technical Report 5/20, CNR, Progetto Finalizzato Sistemi Informatica e Calcolo Parallelo, Sottoprogetto 5, 1990.
Abiteboul, S. and Grumbach, S. Col: a logic based language for complex objects. In EDBT'88 International Conference on Extending Database Technology, pages 271–293, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1988.
Abiteboul, S. and Kanellakis, P. C. Object Identity as a Query Language Primitive. in: Proceedings of the 1989 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Mangement of Data, pages 159–173, Portland, Oreg. (1989).
Abiteboul, S. and Hull, R. B. Ifo: a formal semantic data model. ACM Transactions on Database Systems, 12, 4 (1987), 297–314.
Aït-Kaci, H. Type Subsumption as a Model of Computation. In Kerschberg, L., editor, First International Workshop on Expert Database Systems, Benjamin Cummings, Menlo Park, Cal., 1986.
Baader, F. Terminological cycles in KL-ONE-based KR-languages. In Proceedings of the 8th National Conference of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, Boston, Mass., 1990.
Beeri, C. A formal approach to object-oriented database. In Data & Knowledge Engineering, pages 353–382, 1990.
Beck, H. W., Gala, S. K., and Navathe, S. B. Classification as a query processing technique in the CANDIDE semantic data model. In Proceedings of the International Data Engineering Conference, IEEE, pages 572–581, Los Angeles, Cal., 1989.
Bergamaschi, S., Cavedoni, L. Sartori, C., and Tiberio, P. On taxonomical reasoning in E/R environments. In Batini, C., editor, Entity Relationship Approach, pages 443–453, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1989.
Bergamaschi, S., and Nebel, B. Theoretical fondations of complex object data models Technical Report 5/91, CNR, Progetto Finalizzato Sistemi Informatica e Calcolo Parallelo, Sottoprogetto 5, January 1992.
Bergamaschi, S., and Sartori, C. On taxonomical reasoning in conceptual design. To appear in ACM Transactions on Database Systems, also available as Technical Report 78, CIOC-CNR, Bologna, 1991.
Borgida, A.,Brachman, R, J., McGuinness, D. L. and Resnick, L. A. CLASSIC: a structural data model for objects, in: Proceedings of the 1989 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Mangement of Data, pages 59–67, Portland, Oreg. (1989).
Brachman, R. J. and Schmölze, J. G. An overview of the KL-ONE knowledge representation system, Cognitive Science 9, 2 (1985), 171–216.
Cacace, F., Ceri, S., Crespi-Reghizzi, S., Tanca, L., and Zicari, R. Integrating object-oriented data modeling with rule-based programming paradigm. In Symposium on Principles of database Systems, ACM SIGMOD, pages 225–236.
Cardelli, L. A. Semantics of multiple inheritance. In Semantics of Data Types, pages 51–67, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1984.
Garey, M. R. and Johnson, D. S. Computers and Intractability, Freeman, San Francisco, Cal., 1979.
Lewis, H. R. and Papadimitriou, C. H. Elements of the Theory of Computation, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1981.
Lécluse, C. and Richard, P. The O2 Data Model. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, 1989.
Lécluse, C. and Richard, P. Modeling complex structures in object-oriented databases. In Proceedings of the 8th ACM SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database-Systems, pages 360–367, March 1989.
Lloyd, J.W. Foundations of Logic Programming. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1987.
Nebel, B. Terminological reasoning is inherently intractable. Artificial Intelligence, 43:235–249, 1990.
Nebel, B. Terminological cycles: Semantics and computational properties. In J. Sowa, editor, Principles of Semantic Networks. Morgan Kaufmann, San Mateo, Cal., 1991.
Schmidt, D.A. Denotational Semantics: A Methodology for Language Development. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1986.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Beneventano, D., Bergamaschi, S. (1992). Subsumption for complex object data models. In: Biskup, J., Hull, R. (eds) Database Theory — ICDT '92. ICDT 1992. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 646. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56039-4_53
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56039-4_53
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56039-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47360-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive