Database Transformation Task

A Database Transformation Task is a transformation task that operates on databases.

• Context:
  • It can produce a Database View into one Database.
  • It can support a Database Integration Task.
  • It can use a Data Transformation Task.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Transform one Customer Database to look-like a Canonical Database.
  • A Transactional Database Transformation.
  • A Non-Deterministic Database Transformation.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s)
  • A Database Schema Matching Task.
  • A Database Merging Task.
  • A Database Refactoring Task.
  • A Database Normalization Task.
• See: Database, Database Design Task, Database System, Relational Database, Transactional Database, Ontology Integration Task.

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References

1998

• (Davidson et al., 1998) ⇒ Davidson, S., Buneman, P., & Kosky, A. (1998). Semantics of database transformations. Semantics in Databases, 55-91 doi: 10.1007/BFb0035005, PDF file .
  • Abstract: Database transformations arise in many different settings including database integration, evolution of database systems and implementing user views and data entry tools. This paper surveys approaches that have been taken to problems in these settings, assesses their strengths and weaknesses and develops requirements on a formal model for specifying and implementing database transformations. We also consider the problem of insuring the correctness of database transformations. In particular, we demonstrate that the usefulness of correctness conditions such as information preservation is hindered by the interactions of transformations and database constraints, and the limited expressive power of established database constraint languages. We conclude that more general notions of correctness are required, and that there is a need for a uniform formalism for expressing both database transformations and constraints, and reasoning about their interactions. Finally we introduce WOL a declarative language for specifying and implementing database transformations and constraints. We briefly describe the WOL language and its semantics, and argue that it addresses many of the requirements on a formalism for dealing with general database transformations.

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