Synonyms
Moving span
Definition
A span is variable if its duration is dependent on the assumed context.
Key Points
Given a specific setting, any span is either a fixed span or a variable span. An obvious example of a variable span is “1 month” in the Gregorian calendar. Its duration may be any of 28, 29, 30, and 31 days, depending on which particular month is intended. The span “1 h” is fixed because it always has a duration of 60 min.
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Recommended Reading
Bettini C, Dyreson CE, Evans WS, Snodgrass RT, Wang XS. A glossary of time granularity concepts. In: Etzion O, Jajodia S, Sripada S, editors. Temporal databases: research and practice, LNCS 1399. Berlin: Springer; 1998. p. 406–13.
Jensen CS, Dyreson CE, editors. A consensus glossary of temporal database concepts – February 1998 version. In Etzion O, Jajodia S, Sripada S, editors. Temporal databases: research and practice, LNCS 1399. Berlin: Springer; 1998. p. 367–405.
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Jensen, C.S., Snodgrass, R.T. (2018). Variable Time Span. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1431
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1431
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