Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Current, Legacy, and Invalid Tuples in Conditionally Evolving Databases

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Advances in Information Systems (ADVIS 2002)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 2457))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

After the schema of a relation has evolved some tuples no longer fit the current schema. The mismatch between the schema a tuple is supposed to have and the schema a tuple actually has is inherent to evolving schemas, and is the defining property of legacy tuples. Handling this mismatch is at the very core of a DBMS that supports schema evolution. The paper proposes tuple versioning as a structure for evolving databases that permits conditional schema changes and precisely keeps track of schema mismatches at the level of individual tuples. Together with the change history this allows the DBMS to correctly identify current, legacy, and invalid tuples. We give an algorithm that classifies tuples, in time and space proportional to the length of the change history. We show how tuple versioning supports a flexible semantics needed to accurately answer queries over evolving databases.

This research was supported in part by the Danish Technical Research Council through grant 9700780 and Nykredit, Inc.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. G. Ariav. Temporally Oriented Data Definitions: Managing Schema Evolution in Temporally Oriented Databases. Data Knowledge Engineering, 6(6):451–467, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. P. Atzeni and V. de Antonellis. Relational Database Theory. Benjamin/Cummings, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  3. P. Atzeni and N. M. Morfuni. Functional dependencies in relations with null values. Information Processing Letters, 18(4):233–238, 1984.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. J. Banerjee, W. Kim, H.-J. Kim, and H.F. Korth. Semantics and Implementation of Schema Evolution in Object-Oriented Databases. In ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, pages 311–322. ACM Press, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Elisa Bertino. A view mechanism for object-oriented databases. In Alain Pirotte, Claude Delobel, and Georg Gottlob, editors, Advances in Database Technology—EDBT’92, 3rd International Conference on Extending Database Technology, Vienna, Austria, March 23–27, 1992, Proceedings, volume 580 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 136–151. Springer, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  6. C.D. Castro, F. Grandi, and M.R. Scalas. On Schema Versioning in Temporal Databases. In: Recent Advances in Temporal Databases. Springer, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  7. C.D. Castro, F. Grandi, and R.R. Scalas. Schema Versioning for Multitemporal Relational Databases. Information Systems, 22(5):249–290, 1997.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. J. Clifford and A. Croker. The Historical Relational Data Model (HRDM) and Algebra based on Lifespans. In 3rd International Conference of Data Engineering, Los Angeles, California, USA, Proceedings, pages 528–537. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  9. G. Grahne. The Problem of Incomplete Information in Relational Databases. In Springer LNCS No. 554, 1991.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. O. G. Jensen and M. H. Böhlen. Evolving Relations. In Database Schema Evolution and Meta-Modeling, volume 9th International Workshop on Foundations of Models and Languages for Data and Objects of Springer LNCS 2065, page 115 ff., 2001.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. A. M. Keller. Set-theoretic problems of null completion in relational databases. Information Processing Letters, 22(5):261–265, 1986.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. N. Lerat and W. Lipski. Nonapplicable Nulls. Theoretical Computer Science, 46:67–82, 1986.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. L.E. McKenzie and R.T. Snodgrass. Schema Evolution and the Relational Algebra. Information Systems, 15(2):207–232, 1990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. R. van der Meyden. Logical Approaches to Incomplete Information: a Survey. In: Logics for Databases and Information Systems (chapter 10). Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Simon R. Monk and Ian Sommerville. Schema Evolution in OODBs using Class Versioning. SIGMOD Record, 22(3):16–22, 1993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Young-Gook Ra and Elke A. Rundensteiner. A transparent object-oriented schema change approach using view evolution. In Philip S. Yu and Arbee L. P. Chen, editors, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Conference on Data Engineering, March 6–10, 1995, Taipei, Taiwan, pages 165–172. IEEE Computer Society, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  17. J.F. Roddick. Schema Evolution in Database Systems an Annotated Bibliography. ACM SIGMOD Record, 21(4):35–40, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. J.F. Roddick. SQL/SE—A Query Language Extension for Databases Supporting Schema Evolution. ACM SIGMOD Record, 21(3):10–16, 1992.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. J.F. Roddick. A Survey of Schema Versioning Issues for Database Systems. Information Software Technology, 37(7):383–393, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. J.F. Roddick, N.G. Craske, and T.J. Richards. A Taxonomy for Schema Versioning based on the Relational and Entity Relationship Models. In 12th International Conference on Entity-Relationship Approach, Arlington, Texas, USA, December 15–17, 1993, Proceedings, pages 137–148. Springer-Verlag, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  21. J.F. Roddick and R.T. Snodgrass. Schema Versioning. In: The TSQL92 Temporal Query Language. Noewell-MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Andrea H. Skarra and Stanley B. Zdonik. The Management of Changing Types in an Object-Oriented Database. In OOPSLA, 1986, Portland, Oregon, Proceedings, pages 483–495, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  23. R.T. Snodgrass et al. TSQL2 Language Specification. ACM SIGMOD Record, 23(1), 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Markus Tresch and Marc H. Scholl. Schema transformation without database reorganization. SIGMOD Record, 22(1):21–27, 1993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Y. Vassiliou. Null values in Database Management: A Denotational Semantics Approach. In Proceedings of the 1979 ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, pages 162–169, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Y. Vassiliou. Functional Dependencies and Incomplete Information. In International Conference on Very Large Databases, pages 260–269, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Frederik Bajers Vej 7E, DK-9220, Aalborg Øst, Denmark

    Ole Guttorm Jensen & Michael Böhlen

Authors
  1. Ole Guttorm Jensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Böhlen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Engineering Department, Dokuz Eylul University, 35100, Izmir, Bornova, Turkey

    Tatyana Yakhno

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Jensen, O.G., Böhlen, M. (2002). Current, Legacy, and Invalid Tuples in Conditionally Evolving Databases. In: Yakhno, T. (eds) Advances in Information Systems. ADVIS 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2457. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36077-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36077-8_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-00009-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-36077-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation