SEMANTIC INTEGRITY CONSTRAINTS IN KNOWLEDGE-BASED DATABASE DESIGN SYSTEMS

Semantic integrity constraints are used to help ensure that a database accurately reflects the real world in structure and content. Existing database design methodologies, however, do not often include a compre hensive procedure for identifying such constraints and incorporating t hem into a design. A number of knowledge-based systems for database de sign have been developed with varying degrees of emphasis on, and appr oaches to, this task. A representative sample of these systems is revi ewed for their ability to identify, represent and validate integrity c onstraints. In order to examine how constraints are represented, a six -dimensional model of semantic integrity constraints based on that pro posed by Fernandez et al. [32] is presented. Mechanisms used by the pr ototype systems to implement each of the dimensions are examined. This analysis is used to identify apparently successful approaches as well as areas where further research on incorporating and representing sem antic integrity constraints in knowledge-based database design systems is needed.