Requirements ontology and multi-representation strategy for database schema evolution

Abstract

With the emergence of enterprise-wide information systems, ontologies have become by definition a valuable aid for efficient database schema modeling and integration, in addition to their use in other disciplines such as the semantic web and natural language processing. This paper presents another important utilization of ontologies in database schemas: schema evolution. Specifically, our research concentrates on a new three-layered approach for schema evolution. These three layers are 1) a schema repository, 2) a domain ontology called a requirements ontology, and 3) a multi-representation strategy to enable powerful change management. This a priori approach for schema evolution, in contrast with existing a posteriori solutions, can be employed for any data model and for both 1) design from scratch and evolution and 2) redesign and evolution of the database. The paper focuses on the two main foundations of this approach, the requirements ontology and the multi-representation strategy which is based on a stamping mechanism. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.