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A Logical Foundation for Deductive Object-Oriented Databases.

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Title: A Logical Foundation for Deductive Object-Oriented Databases.
Authors: Liu, Mengchi1 mengchi@scs.carleton.ca., Dobbie, Gillian gill@cs.auckland.ac.nz., Ling, Tok Wang lingtw@comp.nus.edu.sg.
Source: ACM Transactions on Database Systems. Mar2002, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p117-151. 35p.
Subject Terms: *OBJECT-oriented databases, *OBJECT-oriented programming, *PROGRAMMING languages, *DATABASE design, DEDUCTIVE databases, FORMAL language semantics
Abstract: Over the past decade, a large number of deductive object-oriented database languages have been proposed. The earliest of these languages had few object-oriented features, and more and more features have systematically been incorporated in successive languages. However, a language with a clean logical semantics that naturally accounts for all the key object-oriented features, is still missing from the literature. This article takes us another step towards solving this problem. Two features that are currently missing are the encapsulation of rule-based methods in classes, and nonmonotonic structural and behavioral inheritance with overriding, conflict resolution and blocking. This article introduces the syntax of a language with these features. The language is restricted in the sense that we have omitted other object-oriented and deductive features that are now well understood, in order to make our contribution clearer. It then defines a class of databases, called well-defined databases, that have an intuitive meaning and develops a direct logical semantics for this class of databases. The semantics is based on the well-founded semantics from logic programming. The work presented in this article establishes a firm logical foundation for deductive object-oriented databases. Key Words: Declarative semantics; deductive databases; nonmonotonic multiple inheritance; object-oriented databases; rule-based languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Abstract:Over the past decade, a large number of deductive object-oriented database languages have been proposed. The earliest of these languages had few object-oriented features, and more and more features have systematically been incorporated in successive languages. However, a language with a clean logical semantics that naturally accounts for all the key object-oriented features, is still missing from the literature. This article takes us another step towards solving this problem. Two features that are currently missing are the encapsulation of rule-based methods in classes, and nonmonotonic structural and behavioral inheritance with overriding, conflict resolution and blocking. This article introduces the syntax of a language with these features. The language is restricted in the sense that we have omitted other object-oriented and deductive features that are now well understood, in order to make our contribution clearer. It then defines a class of databases, called well-defined databases, that have an intuitive meaning and develops a direct logical semantics for this class of databases. The semantics is based on the well-founded semantics from logic programming. The work presented in this article establishes a firm logical foundation for deductive object-oriented databases. Key Words: Declarative semantics; deductive databases; nonmonotonic multiple inheritance; object-oriented databases; rule-based languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:03625915
DOI:10.1145/507234.507237