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The state of change: A survey

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Transactions and Change in Logic Databases (DYNAMICS 1997)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1472))

Abstract

Updates are a crucial component of any database programming language. Even the simplest database transactions, such as withdrawal from a bank account, require updates. Unfortunately, updates are not accounted for by the classical Horn semantics of logic programs and deductive databases, which limits their usefulness in real-world applications. As a short-term practical solution, logic programming languages have resorted to handling updates using ad hoc operators without a logical semantics. A great many works have been dedicated to developing logical theories in which the state of the underlying database can evolve with time. Many of these theories were developed with specific applications in mind, such as reasoning about actions, database transactions, program verification, etc. As a result, the different approaches have different strengths and weaknesses. In this survey, we review a number of these works, discuss their application domains, and highlight their strong and weak points.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, M5S 1A4, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Anthony J. Bonner

  2. Department of Computer Science, SUNY at Stony Brook, 11794, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Michael Kifer

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  1. Anthony J. Bonner
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  2. Michael Kifer
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Burkhard Freitag Hendrik Decker Michael Kifer Andrei Voronkov

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Bonner, A.J., Kifer, M. (1998). The state of change: A survey. In: Freitag, B., Decker, H., Kifer, M., Voronkov, A. (eds) Transactions and Change in Logic Databases. DYNAMICS 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1472. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0055494

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0055494

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65305-9

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