Functional data model design

摘要

A complete algorithm is presented to automate the design of functional data models. The algorithm receives a set of functions and a set of constraints defined on those functions and returns a non-redundant data model with maximal semantic content. The major design criterion of non-redundancy implies that no function in the model should be derivable from the other functions in that model. The minor criterion of maximal semantic content implies that among all equivalent non-redundant data models, the model that exerts maximum control over the behavior of data is the optimum model.