III: Small: Aspects of Integrating Heterogeneous and Inconsistent Data

集成异构数据是一项重大挑战，从政府和企业到科学和医疗保健等广泛领域都存在这种挑战。这个挑战背后的一个关键任务是推导不同数据库模式之间的关系。在过去的十年中，模式映射已经成为完成这项任务的合适工具。模式映射是两个数据库模式之间关系的高级声明性规范，它提供了适当的抽象级别，同时可以编译为可执行代码。该项目的第一个主要目标是开发用于设计模式映射的框架和工具。该框架基于对数据示例的系统使用。该项目研究了基本的算法任务，使用数据示例作为一种设备来说明和理解已经派生的模式映射的行为，也作为模式映射设计系统的输入，该系统将基于给定的数据示例派生出合适的模式映射。第二个主要目标是研究模式映射在集成和交换来自异构数据源的不一致数据时的用途。由于当前的数据交换框架不能很好地处理不一致性，因此本项目将重新检查数据交换并对其进行扩展，以优雅地处理不一致性。这个项目将在设计模式映射和管理不一致数据库方面提高技术水平。此外，它将通过研究生的教学和研究培训，促进科学和工程人力资源的发展。

Integrating heterogeneous data is a major challenge that manifests itself across a wide spectrum, from government and business to science and health care. A critical task underlying this challenge is deriving the relationship between different database schemas. During the past decade, schema mappings have emerged as the right tool for this task. Schema mappings are high-level, declarative specifications of the relationships between two database schemas that provide the appropriate level of abstraction and, at the same time, can be compiled into executable code.The first main aim of this project is to develop a framework and tools for designing schema mappings. This framework is based on the systematic use of data examples. The project investigates fundamental algorithmic tasks in using data examples as a device to illustrate and understand the behavior of already derived schema mappings, and also as inputs to a schema-mapping design system that will derive a suitable schema mapping based on the given data examples. The second main aim is to investigate the uses of schema mappings in integrating and exchanging inconsistent data that arise when bringing together data from heterogeneous sources. Since the current framework of data exchange does not handle inconsistencies well, this project re-examines data exchange and extends it to gracefully handle inconsistencies.This project will advance the state of the art in designing schema mappings and managing inconsistent databases. Furthermore, it will contribute to the development of human resources in science and engineering through the teaching and research training of graduate students.