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Encyclopedia of Database Systems pp 2499–2502Cite as

Schema Versioning

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Definition

Schema versioning deals with the need to retain current data, and the ability to query and update it, through alternate database structures. (The structure of a database is held in a schema (pl. schemata or schemas). Commonly, particularly in temporal databases, these schemata represent the historical structure of a database but this may not always be the case.) Schema Versioning requires not only that data are not lost in schema transformation but also requires that all data are able to be queried, both retrospectively and prospectively, through user-definable version interfaces. Partial schema versioning is supported when data stored under any historical schema may be viewed through any other schema but may only be updated through one specified schema version – normally the current or active schema. (Schema evolution and schema versioning has been conflated in the literature with the two terms occasionally being used interchangeably.)

Historical Background

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    John F. Roddick

Authors
  1. John F. Roddick
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 266 Ferst Drive, 30332-0765, Atlanta, GA, USA

    LING LIU (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Database Research Group David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. TAMER ÖZSU (Professor and Director, University Research Chair) (Professor and Director, University Research Chair)

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© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Roddick, J.F. (2009). Schema Versioning. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_323

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