On interaction with data bases

ABSTRACT

The main thesis of this paper is that interaction with data bases is fundamentally different from file manipulation: In the former case the data base should be “the master,” while the file is a passive collection of data. The main corollaries of this observaction are: a) The conventional update and retrieval operations, traditionally used for files, are not satisfactory as the primitives of users data-base interaction. b) The privacy and integrity of the data base cannot be secured by “access control” alone; there must be a way for the data base to control the user's program itself.

REFERENCES

• 1: DBTG report to the CODASYL language committee (1971).
• 2: P. S. Browne and D. Sheinauer, "A Model for Access Control", proceeding of the ACM SIGFIDET workshop (1971).
• 3: N. Minsky, On the Security of Data Base Systems. Tech. Rep. Computer Science Department, Rutgers University {1973).
• 4: Ole-Johan Dahl, SIMULA 67 common base language, (Norwegian Computing Center. Publication), 1968
• 5: O. J. Dahl and C. A. R. Hoare "Hierarchical Program Structures" in "Structural Programming" by Dahl, et. al. Academic Press (1972).

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.7 Database Administration
          Subjects: Security, integrity, and protection

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.1 Logical Design
          Subjects: Schema and subschema

General Terms:
Languages, Management

Keywords:
Abstraction, Data base, Integrity, Privacy, Sub-schema