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Extending the relational model to deal with probabilistic data

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Abstract

According to the soundness and completeness of information in databases, the expressive form and the semantics of incomplete information are discussed in this paper. On the basis of the discussion, the current studies on incomplete data in relational databases are reviewed. In order to represent stochastic uncertainty in most general sense in the real world, probabilistic data are introduced into relational databases. An extended relational data model is presented to express and manipulate probabilistic data and the operations in relational algebra based on the extended model are defined in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China

    Ma Zongmin & Ma W. Y.

  2. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

    Zhang W. J.

Authors
  1. Ma Zongmin
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  2. Zhang W. J.
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  3. Ma W. Y.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ma Zongmin.

Additional information

MA Zongmin received his M.Eng. degree from the Northeast Heavy Machinery Institute (now Yanshan University, Qinhuandao, China) in 1992. His current research interests include imprecise and uncertain information modeling in conceptual data model and logical databases (relational databases and object-oriented databases), data fusion and databases integration, data mining, fuzzy reasoning, temporal and spatial databases, and engineering databases. He has published over 10 papers in international journals and international conference proceedings.

ZHANG W.J. received his Ph.D degree from the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands in 1994. Dr. Zhang is currently an Associate Professor in the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. His research interests include information modeling for design and manufacturing, intelligent production systems.

MA W.Y. received his Ph.D. degree from the Katholieke University Leuven, Belgium in 1994. Dr. Ma is currently an Assistant Professor in the City University of Hong Kong. His research interests include CAD/CAM, virtual reality for product design, rapid prototyping and manufacturing, and reverse engineering.

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Ma, Z., Zhang, W.J. & Ma, W.Y. Extending the relational model to deal with probabilistic data. J. Comput. Sci. & Technol. 15, 230–240 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02948810

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02948810

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