Data manipulation in collaborative research systems.

This dissertation addresses data manipulation in collaborative research systems, including what data should be stored, the operations to be performed on that data, and a programming interface to effect this manipulation. Collaborative research systems are discussed, and requirements for next-generation systems are specified, incorporating a range of emerging technologies including multimedia storage and presentation, expert systems, and object-oriented database management systems. A detailed description of a generic query processor constructed specifically for one collaborative research system is given, and its applicability to next-generation systems and emerging technologies is examined. Chapter 1 discusses the Arizona Analyst Information System (AAIS), a successful collaborative research system being used at the University of Arizona and elsewhere. Chapter 2 describes the generic query processing approach used in the AAIS, as an efficient, nonprocedural, high-level programmer interface to databases. Chapter 3 specifies requirements for next-generation collaborative research systems that encompass the entire research cycle for groups of individuals working on related topics over time. These requirements are being used to build a next-generation collaborative research system at the University of Arizona called CARAT, for Computer Assisted Research and Analysis Tool. Chapter 4 addresses the underlying data management systems in terms of the requirements specified in Chapter 3. Chapter 5 revisits the generic query processing approach used in the AAIS, in light of the requirements of Chapter 3, and the range of data management solutions described in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 demonstrates the generic query processing approach as a viable one, for both the requirements of Chapter 3 and the DBMSs of Chapter 4. The significance of this research takes several forms. First, Chapters 1 and 3 provide detailed views of a current collaborative research system, and of a set of requirements for next-generation systems based on years of experience both using and building the AAIS. Second, the generic query processor described in Chapters 2 and 5 is shown to be an effective, portable programming language to database interface, ranging across the set of requirements for collaborative research systems as well as a number of underlying data management solutions