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Semantics in Data and Knowledge Bases

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Semantics in Data and Knowledge Bases (SDKB 2008)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 4925))

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Abstract

Semantics is the study of meaning, i.e. how meaning is constructed, interpreted, clarified, obscured, illustrated, simplified, negotiated, contradicted and paraphrased [Wan87]. It has been treated differently in the scientific community, e.g., in the area of knowledge bases and by database users.

  • The scientific community prefers the treatment of ‘always valid’ semantics based on the mathematical logic. A constraint is valid if this is the case in any correct database.

  • Database modellers often use a ‘strong’ semantics for several classes of constraints. Cardinality constraints are based on the requirement that databases exist for both cases, for the minimal and for the maximal case.

  • Database mining is based on a ‘may be valid’ semantics. A constraint is considered to be a candidate for a valid formula.

  • Users usually use a weak ‘in most cases valid’ semantics. They consider a constraint to be valid if this is the usual case.

  • Different groups of users use an ‘epistemic’ semantics. For each of the group its set of constraints is valid in their data. Different sets of constraints can even contradict.

Semantics is currently one of the most overused notions in modern computer science literature. Its understanding spans from synonyms for structuring or synonyms for structuring on the basis of words to precise defined semantics. This partial misuse results in a mismatch of languages, in neglecting formal foundations, and in brute-force definitions of the meaning of syntactic constructions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Science Research Centre, 20A Manapouri Cr, Palmerston North, 4410, New Zealand

    Klaus-Dieter Schewe

  2. Department of Computer Science, Christian Albrechts University Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24098, Kiel, Germany

    Bernhard Thalheim

Authors
  1. Klaus-Dieter Schewe
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  2. Bernhard Thalheim
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Information Science Research Centre, 20A Manapouri Cr, 4410, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Klaus-Dieter Schewe

  2. Institute of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Bernhard Thalheim

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Schewe, KD., Thalheim, B. (2008). Semantics in Data and Knowledge Bases. In: Schewe, KD., Thalheim, B. (eds) Semantics in Data and Knowledge Bases. SDKB 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 4925. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88594-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88594-8_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-88593-1

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