EXPRESS: A Data EXtraction, Processing, amd REStructuring System.

@article{DBLP:journals/tods/ShuHTGL77,
  author    = {Nan C. Shu and
               Barron C. Housel and
               Robert W. Taylor and
               Sakti P. Ghosh and
               Vincent Y. Lum},
  title     = {EXPRESS: A Data EXtraction, Processing, amd REStructuring System},
  journal   = {ACM Trans. Database Syst.},
  volume    = {2},
  number    = {2},
  year      = {1977},
  pages     = {134-174},
  ee        = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/320544.320549, db/journals/tods/ShuHTGL77.html},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

EXPRESS is an experimental prototype data translation system which can access a wide variety of data and restructure it for new uses. The system is driven by two very high level nonprocedural languages: DEFINE for data description and CONVERT for data restructuring. Program generation and cooperating process techniques are used to achieve efficient operation.

This paper describes the design and implementation of EXPRESS. DEFINE and CONVERT are summarized and the implementation architecture presented.

The DEFINE description is compiled into a customized PL/1 program for accessing source data. The restructuring specified in CONVERT is compiled into a set of customized PL/1 procedures to derive multiple target files from multiple input files. Job steps and job control statements are generated automatically. During execution, the generated procedures run under control of a process supervisor, which coordinates buffer management and handles file allocation, deallocation, and all input/output requests.

The architecture of EXPRESS allows efficiency in execution by avoiding unnecessary secondary storage references while at the same time allowing the individual procedures to be independent of each other. Its modular structure permits the system to be extended or transferred to another environment easily.

Copyright © 1977 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.

Joint ACM SIGMOD / IEEE Computer Society Anthology

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Referenced by

1. Philip A. Bernstein: Review - EXPRESS: A Data EXtraction, Processing, amd REStructuring System. ACM SIGMOD Digital Review 1: (1999)
2. Serge Abiteboul, Sophie Cluet, Tova Milo: A Logical View of Structured Files. VLDB J. 7(2): 96-114(1998)
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4. Bennet Vance: An Abstract Object-Oriented Query Execution Language. DBPL 1993: 176-199
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6. Peter Pistor, F. Andersen: Designing A Generalized NF2 Model with an SQL-Type Language Interface. VLDB 1986: 278-285
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13. S. Bing Yao: Optimization of Query Evaluation Algorithms. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(2): 133-155(1979)
14. Barron C. Housel: Pipelining: A Technique for Implementing Data Restructurers. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 4(4): 470-492(1979)
15. Gary H. Sockut, Robert P. Goldberg: Database Reorganization - Principles and Practice. ACM Comput. Surv. 11(4): 371-395(1979)
16. Robert W. Taylor, James P. Fry, Ben Shneiderman, Diane C. P. Smith, Stanley Y. W. Su: Database Program Conversion: A Framework for Research. VLDB 1979: 299-312
17. Vincent Y. Lum, Sakti P. Ghosh, Mario Schkolnick, Robert W. Taylor, D. Jefferson, Stanley Y. W. Su, James P. Fry, Toby J. Teorey, B. Yao, D. S. Rund, B. Kahn, Shamkant B. Navathe, D. Smith, L. Aguilar, W. J. Barr, P. E. Jones: 1978 New Orleans Data Base Design Workshop Report. VLDB 1979: 328-339
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20. James B. Rothnie Jr., Nathan Goodman: A Survey of Research and Development in Distributed Database Management. VLDB 1977: 48-62
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