Database Semantics (Ds-1

Database semantics covers the area between database theory and knowledge representation as practised in artificial intelligence. The pertinence of this subject is reflected in the fact that conventional database systems are sadly lacking in capabilities, making it essential that database systems are provided with some degree of understanding of the intended meaning of the data. The attempts currently being made by the information processing community to correct this deficit are presented in this volume, analyzing the links between databases and knowledge representation, and approaching the area for the first time from the database and conceptual schema viewpoints. Five keynote speeches by eminent experts (Steel, Neuhold, Nijssen, Jardine, Kent) provide the anchor points for the other contributions which span a wide spectrum of topics, from the very abstract to the explicit and practical.