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Definition
Point-stamped temporal data models associate database objects with time instants, indivisible elements drawn from an underlying time domain. Such an association usually indicates that the information represented by the database object in question is valid (i.e., believed to be true by the database) at that particular time instant. The time instant is then called the timestamp of the object.
Historical Background
Associating time-dependent data with time instants has been used in sciences, in particular in physics, at least since Isaac Newton’s development of classical mechanics: time is commonly modeled as a two-way infinite and continuous linear order of indivisible time instants (often with distance defined as well). Similarly, in many areas of computer science, ranging from protocol specifications to program verification to model checking, discrete point-based timestamps play an essential role. In database systems (and in AI), however,...
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Recommended Reading
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Toman, D. (2009). Point-Stamped Temporal Models. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_269
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_269
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