Towards a Semantic View of an Extended Entity-Relationship Model.

@article{DBLP:journals/tods/GogollaH91,
  author    = {Martin Gogolla and
               Uwe Hohenstein},
  title     = {Towards a Semantic View of an Extended Entity-Relationship Model},
  journal   = {ACM Trans. Database Syst.},
  volume    = {16},
  number    = {3},
  year      = {1991},
  pages     = {369-416},
  ee        = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/111197.111200, db/journals/tods/GogollaH91.html},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

Nearly all query languages discussed recently for the Entity-Relationship (ER) model do not possess a formal semantics. Languages are often defined by means of examples only. The reason for this phenomenon is the essential gap between features of query languages and theoretical foundations like algebras and calculi. Known languages offer arithmetic capabilities and allow for aggregates, but algebras and calculi defined for ER models do not.

This paper introduces an extended ER model concentrating nearly all concepts of known so-called semantic data models in a few syntactical constructs. Moreover, we provide our extended ER model with a formal mathematical semantics. On this basis a well-founded calculus is developed taking into account data operations on arbitrary user-defined data types and aggregate functions. We pay special attention to arithmetic operations, as well as multivalued terms allowing nested queries, in a uniform and consistent manner. We prove our calculus only allows the formulation of safe terms and queries yielding a finite result, and to be (at least) as expressive as the relational calculi.

Copyright © 1991 by the ACM, Inc., used by permission. Permission to make digital or hard copies is granted provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or direct commercial advantage, and that copies show this notice on the first page or initial screen of a display along with the full citation.

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Referenced by

1. Anastasia Analyti, Nicolas Spyratos, Panos Constantopoulos: Property Covering: A Powerful Construct for Schema Derivations. ER 1997: 271-284
2. Martin Gogolla: A Declarative Query Approach to Object Identification. OOER 1995: 65-76
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