Kaleidoscope Data Model for An English-like Query Language.

Sang Kyun Cha, Gio Wiederhold: Kaleidoscope Data Model for An English-like Query Language. VLDB 1991: 351-361

@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/vldb/ChaW91,
  author    = {Sang Kyun Cha and
               Gio Wiederhold},
  editor    = {Guy M. Lohman and
               Am\'{\i}lcar Sernadas and
               Rafael Camps},
  title     = {Kaleidoscope Data Model for An English-like Query Language},
  booktitle = {17th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, September
               3-6, 1991, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Proceedings},
  publisher = {Morgan Kaufmann},
  year      = {1991},
  isbn      = {1-55860-150-3},
  pages     = {351-361},
  ee        = {db/conf/vldb/ChaW91.html},
  crossref  = {DBLP:conf/vldb/91},
  bibsource = {DBLP, http://dblp.uni-trier.de}
}

Abstract

Most database interfaces provide poor guidance on ad hoc query formulation, burdening users to learn, and to recall precisely the query language and the database. Kaleidoscope avoids this problem by guiding the user's query construction actively. Based on a grammar specifying the syntax and semantics of an English-like QueryLanguage (EnQL), the interface generates legitimate query constituents incrementally as menu choices. Additional intraquery guidance ensures the integrity of a partial query. The central theme of this paper is that to support Kaleidoscope's style of user- system interaction, the presence of a high-level data model is critical. The absence of an explicit model leads to ad hoc grammar design and query translation. Existing models are inadequate for supporting EnQL because of a significant conceptual gap between common English concepts and database representation of suchconcepts. This paper presents the features of Kaleidoscope, its data model for EnQL, and a mapping to the relational storage.

Copyright © 1991 by the VLDB Endowment. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the VLDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by the permission of the Very Large Data Base Endowment. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or special permission from the Endowment.

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Printed Edition

Guy M. Lohman, Amílcar Sernadas, Rafael Camps (Eds.): 17th International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, September 3-6, 1991, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, Proceedings. Morgan Kaufmann 1991, ISBN 1-55860-150-3

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