Toward a uniform cause-based approach to inconsistency-tolerant database semantics

Abstract

Because of extant inconsistencies in the database, answers to queries may or may not be in accordance with the intended semantics of stored data, as encoded by integrity constraints. Also updates may or may not be in accordance with the integrity constraints. Approaches to query answering usually differ from approaches to check updates for integrity preservation, even more so if they have to cope with extant inconsistencies. We present a novel, cause-based approach that improves inconsistency-tolerant query answering and integrity checking, and provides a uniform foundation for both. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.