The Functional Dependency Model For Logical Database Design

Abstract

In order to have an effective logical database design tool, a designer should have facilities for specifying his data and application requirements at a high level. These specifications should be invariant with respect to a given realization, and should not require irrelevant details. Also, one should be able to compare alternative designs at a high level in order to reduce the solution space at minimal cost. This paper presents several concepts which are aimed toward the above objectives. Specifically, we define a data model, a transaction specification language, and an approach for high level design evaluation.