jwb@cepmax.ncsu.edu (John W. Baugh Jr.) (03/01/91)
I'd like some references on what it means for a database (e.g., the relational kind) to be "correct", the role of "integrity constraints", and so forth. Obviously, if one treats a dbms as just an implementation of a data type then one can define an abstraction function and do Hoare-style verification. Otherwise, general dbms queries may be thought to compromise abstraction by directly accessing the internal representation (i.e., the database itself). So what does one do, just enforce a representation invariant? Is this what some call "integrity constraints"? John Baugh jwb@cepmax.ncsu.edu