A visual interface for a database with version management

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a graphical interface to an experimental database system which incorporates a built-in version control mechanism that maintains a history of the database development and changes. The system is an extension of ISIS [6], Interface for a Semantic Information System, a workstation-based, graphical database programming tool developed at Brown University. ISIS supports a graphical interface to a modified subset of the Semantic Data Model (SDM) [7]. The ISIS extension introduces a transaction mechanism that interacts with the version control facilities. A series of version control support tools have been added to ISIS to provide a notion of history to user-created databases. The user can form new versions of three types of ISIS objects: a class definition object (a type), the set of instances of a class (the content), and an entity. A version-viewing mechanism is provided to allow for the comparison of various object versions. Database operations are grouped together in atomic units to form transactions, which are stored as entities in the database. A sample session demonstrates the capabilities of version and transaction control during the creation and manipulation of database objects.

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INDEX TERMS

Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.1 Logical Design
          Subjects: Data models
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Languages

Keywords:
historical database, semantic data model, transaction processing, version control, visual interfaces