Incorporating english descriptions into a relational database

摘要

Usability of database query languages is an important issue that has received considerable attention. A closely related issue that has not been addressed is the usability of the database itself. In this paper, an extended schema structure is described for incorporating English descriptions into a relational database. A query interpreter that utilizes the extended schema has been implemented as part of the REGIS relational information system, an interactive DBMS that has been in use at General Motors since 1975.REGIS accepts multiple-word phrases as the names of relations and attributes (unlike most systems, which restrict these names to a few characters). The extended schema is used to recognize multi-word names, even if some of the words are missing or out of order, and to prompt the user if an ambiguous name is entered. The result is a flexible and user-friendly environment for interactive data analysis. REGIS also provides facilities for attaching descriptive comments to data items, which can be displayed on-line or included in printed reports.Multi-word names and comments serve the dual purpose of telling the user what is in the database, and allowing the user to refer to data items by meaningful English names. For the new or occasional user of a database, the ability to work with meaningful names and to access descriptive information on-line can lead to a more pleasant and successful interaction.