Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correctness issues for distributed relational database design

  • Published:
Distributed and Parallel Databases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper examines correctness issues that arise in distributed database design. A distributed relational database design is traditionally considered to be valid if every global relation can be reconstructed from its fragments by join operations. In this paper, three successively less restrictive definitions of validity are presented, each providing progressively improved handling of incomplete information. Examining these forms, a hybrid reconstruction approach involving inner- and outer-joins is proposed and we briefly describe its application to query formulation.

We also propose replacing the notion of global reconstructability with the less restrictive, yet intuitively natural notion of object reconstructability. Universal relations need not be constructed. The need for maintenance of constraints across sites of a distributed system is discussed, and the notion of adistributed referential constraint is proposed which fulfills this need.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Stefano Ceri and Giuseppe Pelagatti.Distributed Databases — Principles and Systems. McGraw-Hill, 1984.

  2. Weidong Chen and David Warren. C-logic of complex objects. InACM-SIGACT-SIGMOD-SIGART Symposium on Principles of Database Systems, pages 369–378, March 1989.

  3. Robert M. Colomb and Maria E. Orlowska. Interoperability in information systems. Information Systems Journal, 5:37–50, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. C.A. Ewald and M.E. Orlowska. Generalized integrity constraints. Technical report 248, Department of Computer Science, The University of Queensland, November 1992.

  5. Iain Fogg and Maria E. Orlowska. Valid unbiased fragmentation for distributed database design. International Journal Comput. Math. Appl., 25: 97–106, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ravi Krishnamurthy, Witold Litwin, and William Kent. Language features for interoperability of databases with schematic descrepancies. InProceedings of the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on the Management of Data, pages 40–49, 1991.

  7. David Maier.The Theory of Relational Database Systems. Computer Science Press, 1981.

  8. Maria E. Orlowska. On valid logical distribution for relational databases. Technical Report 68, CEDIS, The University of Queensland, April 1991.

  9. Maria E. Orlowska. On valid vertical fragmentation for distributed database design. InProceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Systems Research, 1991.

  10. Nirad Sharma. Delphi — a distributed universal relation interface. 1992.

  11. Amit Sheth and James Larson. Federated database systems for managing distributed, heterogeneous, and autonomous databases.ACM Computing Surveys, 22(3):183–236, September 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jeffrey Ullman.Principles of Database and Knowledge-Base Systems, volume 1. Computer Science Press, 1988.

  13. Jeffrey Ullman.Principles of Database and Knowledge-Base Systems, volume 2, chapter The Universal Relation as a User Interface. Computer Science Press, 1989.

  14. Jeffrey Ullman and David Maier. Maximal objects and the semantics of universal relation databases.ACM TODS, 8(1):1–14, March 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Yanchun Zhang and Maria E. Orlowska. An efficient test for valid distribution of relational databases. Technical Report 69, CEDIS, The University of Queensland, April 1991.

  16. Yanchun Zhang, Maria E. Orlowska, and Robert Colomb. An efficient test for the validity of unbiased hybrid knowledge fragmentation in distributed databases.International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, 2(4):589–609, August 1992.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRC for Distributed Systems Technology, Department of Computer Science, The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Nirad P. Sharma & Catherine A. Ewald

Authors
  1. Nirad P. Sharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Catherine A. Ewald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Recommended by: Clement Yu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sharma, N.P., Ewald, C.A. Correctness issues for distributed relational database design. Distrib Parallel Databases 3, 361–380 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01299678

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01299678

Keywords

Search

Navigation