A Rule-based Strategy for Schema Integration in a Heterogeneous Information Environment

In this paper, we propose a rule-based methodology to integrate databases in a heterogenous information environment. The methodology consists of two parts: schema translation and schema integration. First, based on the schema analysis, a set of rules is constructed to support the process of transforming schemata automatically (from relational schemata to objectoriented ones). Then, based on the algorithm for identifying subgraph isomorphisms, a strategy for integrating component schemata is developed, which identifies the semantic equivalence relationships between two component schemata semi-automatically. As with the schema transformation, a rule set is built to control the process of integrating heterogeneous data schemata. 1. Introduction Interoperability is becoming a critical issue for many organizations today, due to the increasing dependence and cooperation between them. Therefore, it is desired for many enterprises to be able to access remote as well as local information sourc..