The Hypergraph-Based Data Structure: A New Approach to Data Base Modelling and Application

Abstract

The HBDS model is a type of data structure essentially built upon the set theory and the hypergraph concept. Four abstract data types are defined, respectively named: class, object, attribute and link. Its architecture is composed of an arborescence, an hypergraph, a forest and two multigraphs. In the inner part of the system, links are transformed into hidden classes and objects, allowing to consider them as hierar-chized. Extensions of the model are proposed in order to reduce the number of links: hyperclass, hyperlink, multilink and hypermultilink. One of the main features of the HBDS is the presence of a skeleton structure which makes the structure immediately understandable, without depending upon the number of the components.

The HBDS may be used in data base modelling and design and is able to ensure almost all tasks and properties like protection, simultaneous shareability and distribution, with which special hidden structures are associated.

The HBDS may be applied to business data with several advantages compared with other models: trees, nets, boxes, which appear as subsets of it.

But, its main possible applications essentially concern the very large scientific data bases with complex-structured data.

The HBDS allows a new scientific approach of data base design and applications by giving us a very general model of data structure which may be used everywhere.