On Enforcing Satisfiable, Coherent, and Minimal Sets of Dyadic Relation Constraints in MatBase

TL;DR

This paper introduces a formal framework and an efficient algorithm within the MatBase system to enforce consistent, minimal sets of dyadic relation constraints in databases, ensuring data integrity and coherence.

Contribution

It provides a rigorous formalization of dyadic relation properties and a guaranteed, fast enforcement algorithm for constraint sets in a novel database management system.

Findings

Algorithm guarantees satisfiability, coherence, and minimality of constraints.

MatBase system effectively enforces dyadic relation constraints.

The approach is fast, complete, and minimal.

Abstract

This paper rigorously and concisely defines, in the context of our (Elementary) Mathematical Data Model ((E)MDM), the mathematical concepts of dyadic relation, reflexivity, irreflexivity, symmetry, asymmetry, transitivity, intransitivity, Euclideanity, inEuclideanity, equivalence, acyclicity, connectivity, the properties that relate them, and the corresponding corollaries on the coherence and minimality of sets made of such dyadic relation properties viewed as database constraints. Its main contribution is the pseudocode algorithm used by MatBase, our intelligent database management system prototype based on both (E)MDM, the relational, and the entity-relationship data models, for enforcing dyadic relation constraint sets. We proved that this algorithm guarantees the satisfiability, coherence, and minimality of such sets, while being very fast, solid, complete, and minimal. In the sequel, we also presented the relevant MatBase user interface as well as the tables of its metacatalog used by this algorithm.