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Database query languages and functional logic programming

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Abstract

Functional logic programming is a paradigm which integrates functional and logic programming. It is based on the use of rewriting rules for defining programs, and rewriting for goal solving. In this context, goals, usually, consist of equality (and, sometimes, inequality) constraints, which are solved in order to obtain answers, represented by means of substitutions. On the other hand, database programming languages involve a data model, a data definition language and, finally, a query language against the data defined according to the data model. To use functional logic programming as a database programming language, (1) we will propose a data model involving the main features adopted from functional logic programming (for instance, handling of partial and infinite data), (2) we will use conditional rewriting rules as data definition language, and finally, (3) we will deal with equality and inequality constraints as query language. Moreover, as most database systems, (4) we will propose an extended relational calculus and algebra, which can be used as alternative query languages in this framework. Finally, (5) we will prove that three alternative query languages are equivalent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. de Lenguajes y Computación, Universidad de Almería, Carretera de Sacramento s/n, 04120, Almería, Spain

    Jesús M. Almendros-Jiménez & Antonio Becerra-Terón

Authors
  1. Jesús M. Almendros-Jiménez
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  2. Antonio Becerra-Terón
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Additional information

Jesús M. Almendros-Jiménez, Ph.D.: He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, in 1992 and 1999, respectively. From 1992 to 1999 he was associate professor at the Complutense University of Madrid. From 1999, he is associate professor at the University of Almeria. His research interest has been on Functional-Logic Programming, Type Systems, Deductive Databases and Database Query Languages. He is currently working on Web Databases, especially Database Query Languages for XML, and Software Engineering, especially on UML.

Antonio Becerra-Terón, Ph.D.: He is associate professor at the University of Almeria. He received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Granada and Almeria, Spain, in 1991, 1993 and 2003, respectively. His research interest has been on Functional-Logic Programming, Deductive Databases and Database Query Languages. He is currently working on Web Databases, especially Database Query Languages for XML.

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Almendros-Jiménez, J.M., Becerra-Terón, A. Database query languages and functional logic programming. New Gener Comput 24, 129–184 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03037296

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03037296

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