Diversity with Cooperation in Database Schemata: Semantic Relativism.
Fèlix Saltor, Manuel García-Solaco · 1993
Diversity is an asset, as long as it allows cooperation. In the case of information systems and databases, the data model used is a help or a hindrance for this cooperation of diverse views; this is characterized by the semantic relativism of the model. We first analyze diversity within an information system, where cooperation is made possible by the use of external schemata; semantic relativism of the model of the database schema is the key factor. Then we discuss diversity between different information systems, where they cooperate thru interoperability, by schema integration into federated schemata; semantic relativism of the canonical data model is shown to be determinant. 1. Introduction Different people have diverse views of reality; they perceive and conceptualize the same portion of reality in diverse ways. We find not an absolute view, only relative views. Is this diversity good or bad? If it is an impediment for their cooperation, it is bad. The remedy is not uniformity, t...