Database theory encapsulates a broad range of topics related to the study and research of the theoretical realm of

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

s and database management systems. Theoretical aspects of data management include, among other areas, the foundations of query languages, computational complexity and expressive power of queries, finite model theory, database design theory, dependency theory, foundations of

concurrency control In information technology and computer science, especially in the fields of computer programming, operating systems, multiprocessors, and databases, concurrency control ensures that correct results for concurrent operations are generated, whil ...

and database recovery, deductive databases, temporal and spatial databases, real-time databases, managing uncertain data and probabilistic databases, and Web data. Most research work has traditionally been based on the

relational model The relational model (RM) is an approach to managing data using a structure and language consistent with first-order predicate logic, first described in 1969 by English computer scientist Edgar F. Codd, where all data are represented in terms of t ...

, since this model is usually considered the simplest and most foundational model of interest. Corresponding results for other data models, such as object-oriented or semi-structured models, or, more recently, graph data models and

XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing data. It defines a set of rules for encoding electronic document, documents in a format that is both human-readable and Machine-r ...

, are often derivable from those for the relational model. Database theory helps one to understand the complexity and power of query languages and their connection to

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

. Starting from

relational algebra In database theory, relational algebra is a theory that uses algebraic structures for modeling data and defining queries on it with well founded semantics (computer science), semantics. The theory was introduced by Edgar F. Codd. The main applica ...

and

first-order logic First-order logic, also called predicate logic, predicate calculus, or quantificational logic, is a collection of formal systems used in mathematics, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. First-order logic uses quantified variables over ...

(which are equivalent by

Codd's theorem Codd's theorem states that relational algebra and the domain-independent relational calculus queries, two well-known foundational query languages for the relational model, are precisely equivalent in expressive power. That is, a database query can ...

) and the insight that important queries such as graph reachability are not expressible in this language, more powerful language based on

logic programming Logic programming is a programming, database and knowledge representation paradigm based on formal logic. A logic program is a set of sentences in logical form, representing knowledge about some problem domain. Computation is performed by applyin ...

and fixpoint logic such as Datalog were studied.Maier, D., Tekle, K.T., Kifer, M. and Warren, D.S., 2018. Datalog: concepts, history, and outlook. In Declarative Logic Programming: Theory, Systems, and Applications (pp. 3-100). The theory also explores foundations of

query optimization Query optimization is a feature of many relational database management systems and other databases such as NoSQL and graph databases. The query optimizer attempts to determine the most efficient way to execute a given query by considering the po ...

and

data integration Data integration refers to the process of combining, sharing, or synchronizing data from multiple sources to provide users with a unified view. There are a wide range of possible applications for data integration, from commercial (such as when a ...

. Here most work studied conjunctive queries, which admit query optimization even under constraints using the chase algorithm. The main research conferences in the area are the

ACM Symposium on Principles of Database Systems The ACM Symposium on Principles of Database Systems (PODS) is an international research conference on database theory, and has been held yearly since 1982. It is sponsored by three Association for Computing Machinery The Association for Com ...

(PODS) and the

International Conference on Database Theory The International Conference on Database Theory (ICDT) is an international research conference on foundations of database theory, and has been held since 1986. It is frequently also called the PODS of Europe. Since 2009, ICDT has been held joint ...

(ICDT).

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* {{Database

Theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

See also

References

General references

External links