An algorithm to extract Is_A inheritance hierarchies from a relational database

Abstract

This paper presents an algorithmic approach for extracting Is_A inheritance hierarchies from a relational database. This approach can be integrated into a global process of reverse engineering of object-oriented or extended entity/relationship conceptual schemas. It uses the instances of the database. Its originality resides in its capability not only to derive concealed inheritances but also to retrieve existence constraints (constraints on null values) within and between relations.