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In computing, a database is an organized collection of data (also known as a data store) stored and accessed electronically through the use of a database management system. Small databases can be stored on a , while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spans formal techniques and practical considerations, including data modeling, efficient data representation and storage, query languages, security and privacy of sensitive data, and distributed computing issues, including supporting concurrent access and fault tolerance. A database management system (DBMS) is the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and analyze the data. The DBMS software additionally encompasses the core facilities provided to administer the database. The sum total of the database, the DBMS and the associated applications can be referred to as a database system. Often the term "database" is also used loosely to r

Predictive approach for schema evolution

Hassina Bounif

In today's companies and organizations, databases are omnipresent. They are the means to represent and store information. Therefore, they must evolve whenever the information architecture (semantic and structure) changes. Databases are subject to evolution for several reasons that include the changes to the real-world or the emergence of new database user requirements. We may also consider non representational and non-functional aspects such as the technology and performance requirements. Those can also compel the database designer or administrator to change the database in order to be more optimal and adapted to those requirements. This thesis proposes to address the schema evolution problem by anticipating the potential changes for the evolution of the schema. The approach adopts the a priori perspective i.e. to plan in advance for a possible solution that makes a schema evolve over time. Such a solution works with both a set of assumptions and techniques. The elaborated approach is based on different components: • First, we propose to develop a schema repository which contains a wide number of heterogeneous schemas and their historical versions. This repository serves in a series of operations that are important for the study of the schemas such as selecting the pertinent schemas, building the change matrices and performing the data-mining process. • Second, we propose to develop a requirements ontology, meaning to say a domain ontology that describes the current concepts of a database as well as the concepts that represent the potential future requirements that could be part of the evolution. The method of construction of this ontology includes several phases such as the preparation of the data for this ontology, the establishment of the data-dictionary besides change perspectives that store the concepts that are associated to other concepts by relationships resulting from the application of the data-mining process, the evaluation of the domain ontology using a graph structure and finally the construction of the ontology using a set of procedures. • Third, we propose to develop a predicted schema which is a database schema that contains two types of metadata. The metadata, that represents current entities of the database and the metadata that represents potential future entities. The predicted schema has two methods of representation: the multi-representation strategy and the predicted design repository schemas strategy. The schemas with the multi-representation strategy are particular versions of schemas whereas the schemas with the predicted design repository schemas are particular repositories of schemas. • Finally, we propose a case study and an analysis of the approach. The case study to better understand how this approach works and the analysis to show its feasibility, the positive as well as negative aspects.

EPFL2009

Predictive Approach for Database Schema Evolution

Hassina Bounif

Information systems, including their core databases need to meet changing user requirements and adhere to evolving business strategies. Traditional database evolution techniques focus on reacting to change to smoothly perform schema evolution operations and to propagate corresponding updates to the data as effectively as possible. Adopting such posterior solutions to such changes generates high costs in human resources and financial support. We advocate an alternate solution: a predictive approach to database evolution. In this approach, we anticipate future changes during the standard requirements analysis phase of schema development. Our approach enables potential future requirements to be planned for, as well as the standard, determining what data is to be stored and what access is required. This preparation contributes significantly in the ability of the database schema to adapt to future changes and to estimate their relative costs.

Idea Group2006

An informed environment for inhabited city simulation

In combination with the rapid technical improvements of computers, building large virtual scenes has become a popular field in computer graphics for education, films or games. Often, virtual humans populate scenes such as real reconstructed city, disappeared building or virtual town, and they are expected to provide a real life feeling. The specific aim of this thesis is to perform action planning in order to populate these scenes with virtual humans. To achieve this goal, we use a database dedicated to urban life simulation called an Informed Environment. This report presents a design methodology and associated tools for animation purposes in large scale scenes. We propose a space decomposition of the scene into a set of entities allowing automatic path computing regardless of scene size. In order to achieve human behavioural simulation, we decide to focus on the definition of scene decomposition resulting in the creation of a database. The first stage of this work consisted of building a database simulating "urban knowledge" (knowledge about location and associated functionalities) and virtual perceptions (contact with the ground, object perception etc.). These virtual perceptions, necessary for autonomy simulation, but highly costly in time processor consuming, are simulated through database access corresponding to our Informed Environment. We decided to define an ideal 3D model as a test-bed for concepts and tools, integrating both geometrical and semantical data. We also define rules for the design, storage and display options. The "urban knowledge" attached to a simulation is the base of a generic hierarchical model of space decomposition. This model of space decomposition of the 3D scene is related to a specific type of simulation and directly applied to the modelling of the tridimensional scene. Once the database is created, some tools access the database content for path/action computation, knowledge concerning a place, display optimization, places and objects. As 3D data visibility and verification with associated semantic information are difficult to observe, we have defined some tools for database visualisation, verification and modification (the "applicity" software). These tools have been developed in order to offer assistance to the user during manipulation of three-dimensional data. This system is applied to real reconstructed scenes in the framework of the European project CROSSES, for panic simulation during accident. Our field of research has also been extended to the domain of disability help in order to compute path for people with reduced mobility. Our goal was to define some tools and a few constraint methodology that automatically generate all information needed for simulating autonomous behaviour in an urban environment.

EPFL2001

An informed environment for inhabited city simulation

EPFL2001

Predictive approach for schema evolution

Hassina Bounif

EPFL2009