Specifying active database systems in an object-oriented framework

Jack Campin, Norman Paton, Howard Williams

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for the formal specification of active database systems, and shows how the framework can be used to describe the functionality of three well known example systems, namely Starburst, POSTGRES and Ariel. The framework has been developed using Object-Z to structure specifications in a way that emphasises commonalities and key differences between the designs, and that is readily extensible to support new constructs and systems. Such a formal framework can be used to provide formal descriptions of systems that have previously been described only informally, to compare the functionalities of different systems by contrasting support for fundamental concepts, and as a basis for reasoning about rule bases in the context of different active rule systems. The paper also demonstrates the applicability of object-oriented formal methods to the specification of advanced database functionality.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)101-123
Number of pages23
JournalInternational Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering
Volume7
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Mar 1997

Keywords

  • Active databases
  • DBMS
  • Formal specification
  • Object-oriented

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