Adaptive Predicate Managers in Database Systems

Abstract

Relational databases use predicates for a large variety of different functions. some leading to database search, others being handled by theorem proving. First we demonstrate that the theorem provinr! applications have very similar basic requirements for predicate manaeement but differ in their need foti efficiency. Second we Gresent dedicated deduction methods fo; DBMS that employ a copcept of “doubtfuls” in order to allow tradeoffs between deductive completene?s and efficiency. A new algorithm for testing the satisfiability of predicates with universally quantified variables is described and shown to offer advantages over general-purpose theorem provers for many database applications.