ROL: A deductive object base language

摘要

This paper presents a novel deductive object-oriented database language, called ROL (Rule-based Object Language), which is being developed at the University of Regina. ROL effectively integrates important features of object-oriented databases and deductive databases into a uniform framework. It supports object identity, complex objects, classes, class hierarchy, multiple inheritance with overriding, and schema. It also supports structured values such as functor objects and sets, treats them as first class citizens, and provides powerful mechanisms for representing both partial and complete information on sets. It is an extension of pure valued-oriented deductive languages such as Datalog and LDL (without grouping) and subsumes them as special cases. Another novelty is the introduction of a new ordering which can capture the intended semantics of nested sets. The ROL language is given a logical semantics based on this new ordering that accounts in a clean and declarative fashion for all of its object-oriented and value-oriented features as well as the usage of schema in a deductive framework.