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Transforming relational database schemas into object-oriented schemas according to ODMG-93

  • Transactions and Schema Translation
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Deductive and Object-Oriented Databases (DOOD 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1013))

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Abstract

Many database applications are currently confronted with the problem of migrating from relational to object-oriented systems. A central task in such a process is schema conversion, which so far has to be done in a way that specifically depends on the target system. Recently, the ODMG-93 proposal has established a framework in which the core aspects of an object-oriented schema can be made precise, so that it becomes possible to do schema conversions in a system-independent way, by using the ODMG model as target. This paper presents a methodology for transforming relational schemas into object-oriented ones according to ODMG-93, thereby rendering it possible to do reverse engineering computer-assisted, and to automate database migrations. Essentially, the methodology is a three-step process who first goal is to complete a given relational schema, i.e., to make the semantic information it carries as explicit as possible using a variety of data dependencies. A completed schema is then transformed into an ODMG schema in a straightforward way, basically by generating classes from relation schemas. However, the result will in general not yet be optimal from an object-oriented perspective; so the initial object-oriented schema is finally improved to better exploit the options available in the object-oriented paradigm.

This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Grant Vo 426/7-1,2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut fuer Wirtschaftsinformatik, University of Muenster, Grevenerstrasse 91, D-48159, Muenster, Germany

    Christian Fahrner & Gottfried Vossen

Authors
  1. Christian Fahrner
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  2. Gottfried Vossen
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Tok Wang Ling Alberto O. Mendelzon Laurent Vieille

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fahrner, C., Vossen, G. (1995). Transforming relational database schemas into object-oriented schemas according to ODMG-93. In: Ling, T.W., Mendelzon, A.O., Vieille, L. (eds) Deductive and Object-Oriented Databases. DOOD 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1013. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60608-4_54

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60608-4_54

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60608-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48460-8

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