Relational database constraints as counterexamples

Abstract.

 First order static database constraints are expressed as counterexamples, i.e., examples that violate the integrity of the database. Examples are data and as such they can be specified and stored as data, and structured into database files for efficient search and retrieval. To express all first order constraints as counterexamples, a new normal form for first order logic is created which, after some syntactic transformation, is amenable to storage in flat files, and efficient search and retrieval. The critical contribution is the ability to manage a large number constraints on secondary storage devices, and eliminate the requirement to transport all constraints to main memory for testing.