Role-Based Semantics for Conceptual-Level Queries

We are developing a system known as QUICK (for QUICK is a Universal Interface with Conceptual Knowledge) which provides simplified access to database systems. It allows users to develop applications and specify ad hoc queries without requiring them to understand the underlying schema. Users present high-level queries that specify only attributes to be selected and their constraints. In turn, QUICK infers corresponding SQL queries by using a knowledge construct called a context, which is derived from underlying conceptual schema. For most queries, the context provides enough information to insulate users from the underlying schema. The context does not contain sufficient knowledge to infer the corresponding SQL query from certain classes of high-level queries. Users must specify logical attributes and some of the joins already described by the schema. This paper identifies how relationship roles specified in the conceptual schema in conjunction with new knowledge representation constr..