Incrementally maintained network→relational database mapping

Abstract An incrementally maintained mapping from a network to a relational database is presented. This mapping may be established either to support the efficient retrieval of data from a network database through a relational interface, or as the first step in a gradual conversion of data and applications from a network to a relational database system. After the mapping has been established, the only data mapped from the network to the relational database are the increments resulting from updates on the network database. The mapping is therefore an efficient alternative to mappings that repeatedly map the results of retrievals through the relational interface from the network database to the relational database. This is in particular the case when the two databases reside on different hosts. Applications on the network database may, under certain restrictions, gradually be moved to the relational database, while the mapping incrementally maintains the relational database for the applications that remain on the network database. A detailed, but generic, account of how to build such a mapping from a network to a relational database is given, including all the algorithms needed and examples of their use.