Computer Science Colloquium

Dr. Stefan Stanczyk
Oxford Brookes University, UK

ON EQUIVALENCE OF THEORETICAL DATABASE MODELS

Thu 18.06.2009, 16:15, 60 minutes
T212

Abstract

The ultimate objective of this work is to find out to what extent and under what conditions the main database models (functional, relational, nested-relational, object-oriented) are equivalent and, if so, what are the mechanisms of possible transformation between them. The investigation will be done through analysis of the properties of each model by expressing them in a formal way, finding possible co-relations and demonstrating applications. This talk with concentrate on the relational data model for it is completely formalised and has the following attractive properties: * separation of physical & logical aspects * data - process independence * high level of data abstraction * universal & uniform data structure * global behavioural rules * set of higher-level operations * structure optimisation algorithm A simple database application expressed in both functional and relational terms will illustrate the findings so far.

Bio

Dr. Stefan Stanczyk graduated in Engineering (Warsaw) and in Computer Science (London) with a doctorate in Computer Science (Milton Keynes). After several years in computer industry and international consultancy he joined Oxford Brookes University where he served as Deputy Head of the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences, and later as Asst. Dean for Graduate Studies in Technology (computing, electronics, mathematics, mechanical engineering) until his retirement last year. His academic expertise includes databases, foundations of software engineering and computerisation of didactic processes. He has also taken a keen interest in promoting EU academic exchange programmes and lecturing in European universities, most notably in Linz and Warsaw. He has authored 3 books and over 30 papers. Dr. Stanczyk is a guest professor at JKU during the summer semester 2009 giving a course on Functional Programming for Databases.

Invited by o. Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Dr.h.c. Hanspeter Mössenböck

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The Computer Science Colloquium is organized by the Department of Coputer Science at JKU, the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Informatik (ÖGI) and the Österreichische Computergesellschaft (OCG).

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