Indefinite and maybe information in relational databases

Abstract

This paper extends the relational model to represent indefinite and maybe kinds of incomplete information. A data structure, called an I-table, which is capable of representing indefinite and maybe facts, is introduced. The information content of I-tables is precisely defined, and an operator to remove redundant facts is presented. The relational algebra is then extended in a semantically correct way to operate on I-tables. Queries are posed in the same way as in conventional relational algebra; however, the user may now expect indefinite as well as maybe answers.