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GBXT – A Gesture-Based Data Exploration Tool for Your Favorite Database System

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Model and Data Engineering (MEDI 2014)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 8748))

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Abstract

This paper presents a prototype for generic, gesture-based data exploration over arbitrary relational database systems. The application aims at users who need to navigate through interconnected relational tables in search of needed information in an ad-hoc fashion using mostly visual clues. Typically, users only have a vague understanding of the underlying database schema and attribute names, preventing them from successfully formulating SQL queries. On the other hand, a pure text search would deliver too many and meaningless results. Thus the prototype combines schema visualization with instance presentation, using a form of nested relational view for foreign key expansion. As our prototype shows, this dual schema/instances approach, when combined with direct interaction through gestures on a tablet computer or smartphone, provides intuitive, mobile, responsive interaction with structured data. The argument is then that this makes it an ideal, light-weight generic tool for anybody in the field needing quick information from partially unknown relational sources, when a customized, domain-specific interface isn’t available.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. FB 16 Elektrotechnik/Informatik, Universität Kassel, D-34121, Kassel, Germany

    Stefan Achler

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  1. Stefan Achler
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. IRIT-ENSEEIHT, 2 rue Charles, Camichel, BP 7122, 31071, Toulouse Cedex 7, France

    Yamine Ait Ameur

  2. LIAS/ISAE-ENSMA, Téléport 2, 1 avenue Clément Ader, BP 40109, 86961, Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex, France

    Ladjel Bellatreche

  3. Department of Computer Science, University of Cyprus, 1 University Avenue, Aglantzia, 2109, Nicosia, Cyprus

    George A. Papadopoulos

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Achler, S. (2014). GBXT – A Gesture-Based Data Exploration Tool for Your Favorite Database System. In: Ait Ameur, Y., Bellatreche, L., Papadopoulos, G.A. (eds) Model and Data Engineering. MEDI 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8748. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11587-0_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11587-0_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-11586-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-11587-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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