DOCUMENT RESUME ED 050 760 LI 002 820 TITLE Feature Analysis of Generalized Data Base Management Systems. INSTITUTION Conference on Data Systems Languages, Monroeville, Pa. Systems Committee. PUB DATE May 71 NOTE 511p. AVAILABLE FROM Associaticn for Ccmputing Machinery Headquarters, Order Department, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10026 ($8.00) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.65 HC-$19.74 DESCRIPTORS Computer Programs, Computers, *Data Bdzes, Information Retrieval, *Information Storage, *Information Systems, *Management Information Systems, *Management Systems, Operations Research, *Systems Analysis, Systems Development ABSTRACT A more complete definition of the features offered in present day generalized data base management systems is provided by this second technical report of the CODASYL Systems Committee. In a tutorial format, each feature description is followed by either narrative information covering ten systems or by a table for all systems. The ten systems covered in this report are: (1) the Conference on Data Systems Languages' COBOL as defined in the "Journal of Development,"(2) the Data Base Task Group°s proposal, (3) International Business Machines Corporation's (IBM's) GIS, (4) General Electric Company's(GE's) IDS, (5) IMB's IMS, (6) Informatics' MARK IV, (7) IBM's FFS (also known as NIPS) , (8) Auerbach and Western Electric's SC-1, (9) Systems Development Corporation's +DMS and (10) Radio Corporation of America's UL/1. (MM) - 4-4";$4, 4 !' '4. L'2 US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHEDUCATIDN & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCV ON THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECE ',ED FROM THE PERSONOR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING ITPOINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOTNECES SARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICEOF EDU CATION POSITION OR POLICY Al FEATURE ANALYSIS OF GENERALIZED DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS by CODASYL SYSTEMS COMMILIIE MAY 1971 Chairman: T. William 011e RCA Corporation Members: Gordon C. Everest University of Minnesota (and Auerbach Corporation) James P. Fry University of Michigan (formerly with MIME Corporation) Mary E. Fuller URS Data Sciences Company *Mary K. Hawes Information Systems Leasing Corp. *Anthony J. Kay Honeywell Information Systems Henry C. Lefkovits Honeywell Information Systems (formerly with General Electric) William C. McGee IBM Corporation A. Metaxides Bell Telephone Laboratories Ronald M. Olson Control Data Corporation *Martin Rich Esso Mathematics and Systems Richard F. Schubert B. F. Goodrich Chemical Edgar H. Sibley University of Michigan William H. Stieger Chase Brass and Copper Company Alfred H. Vorliaus MITRE Corporation (formerly with SDC) Arla E. Weinert Naval Command Systems Support Activity John W. Young National Cash Register *Resigned during 1970. This report is prepared by the CODASYL Systems Committee and represents the viewpoint of its members, but not necessarily of their respective affiliations.The report is authorized by the CODASYL Executive Committee as - Systems Committee technical report fo:r distribution outside CODASYL. Copyright: 00 In accordance with CODASYL policy, this report may be reproduced or translated in whole or in part.However, it is requested that a CN1 mention be made of the source. If a major portion of the report is used it is requested that mention be made of the authors and of their affiliations in the above form. ADDITIONAL COPIES AVAILABLE for $3.00 prepaid from: Association for Computing Machinery Order Department 1133 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10026 In Europe Inquiries Should be Addressed to: British Computer Society 29 Portland Place London Wl, England or: IFIP Data Processing Group StadhoudeL Skada 6 Amsterdam, Netherlands 2 ACKNOWLEDGpmmr The work in preparing this report was performed by the members of the CODASYL Systems Committee whose names are listed on the front page. These individuals were supported by their affiliations, who made members' time available and who sponsored all trave3 and meeting expenses. In addition to the members of the committee, a number of other individuals assisted the committee by reviewing drafts and answering questions on specific points. Appreciation is expressed by the Committee to the following for their assistance. William B. Helgeson Honeywell Information Systems Inc. Ronald McDowell Chevrolet Engineering Center Martin J. Rich ESSO Mathematics & Systems, Inc. Joseph E. Sciulli & colleagues Western Electric Robert W. Taylor University of Michigan John Thurlow ESSO Mathematics & Systems, Inc. Thomas Work International Business Machines DISCLAIMER The Systems Committee has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the systems descriptions. Readers are requested to refer to the originator's source documentation to which reference is given in chapter 1. The Systems Committee disclaims responsibility for any inadvertent accuracies or mis- interpretations. INFORMATION Information regarding the further activities of the CODASYL Systems Committee can be obtained from the following: Chairman, CODASYL Systems Committee P.O. Box 124 Monroeville, Pennsylvania 15146 4 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION I- 1 I.1 Background I- 1 1.2 Systems Committee goals I- 1 1.3 Decisions leading to preparation of current report I- 2 1.4Functions of current report I- 3 1.5 Current state of the art I- 3 1.5.1Host language capabilities I- 5. 1.5.2 Self-contained capabilities I- 6 1.5.3 Inter-system capabilities I- 7 1.5.4 Data independence and binding I- 8 1.5.5 User interface I- 8 1.5.6Levels of user , I- 9 1.6 Technical problems facing designers I- 9 1.6.1 Existing storage structures I-10 1.6.2 More complex data structures I-10 1.6.3 Self-contained operations on network structures I-11 1.6.4 Non-programmer interaction I-11 1.6.5 Unification of both approaches 1-12 1.7 Use of COBOL as a basis for further development 1-12 1.7.1 Data structure capabilities 1-13 1.7.2 Host language capabilities I-14 1.7.3 Self-contained capabilities I-14 1.8 Features of generalized data base management systems 1-15 1.8.1General summary 1-16 1.8.2 Data structure 1-16 1.8.3Data definition 1-16 1.8.4 Interrogation 1-16 1.8.5 Update 1-17 1.8.6 Creation 1-17 1.8.7 Programmer facilities 1-18 1.8.3Data administrator functions 1-18 1.8.9 Storage structure 1-18 1.8.10 Operational environment 1-19 1.9 Report conventions 1-19 1.9.1 Terminology 1-19 1.9.2 Language syntax specifications 1-19 1.9.3 Abbreviations 1-20 5 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Rae,. I.10Systems Committee role in future development 1-20 References I-21 1. GENERAL SUMMARY 1- 1 1.1 Identification 1- 1 1.1.1 Self-contained 1- 1 1.1.2 Host language 1- 2 1.2 Data structure class 1- 4 1.3 Generalized processes provided 1- 6 1.4 Language type 1- 7 1.5 Storage structure class 1-10 1.6 System environment 1-11 1.7 System summaries 1-13 1.7.1 Underlying philosophy 1-13 1.7.2 System descriptions 1-17 1.8 Selected bibliography 1-29 2. DATA STRUCTURES 2- 1 2.1 Items 2- 5 2.1.1 Item types 2- 5 2.1.1.1Numeric item types 2- 7 2.1.1.2String item types 2- 9 2.1.1.3Other item types 2- 9 2.1.2 Item schema attributes 2-12 2.1.2.1Names 2-12 2.1.2.2Value class attributes 2-14 2.1.2.3 Other item schema attributes 2-16 2.1.3 Other item attributes 2-20 2.2 Groups 2-22 2.2.1 Group types 2-27 2.2.2 Group composition 2-31 2.2.2.' Schema composition 2-31 2.2.2.2 Instance composition 2-33 2.2.3 Group attributes 2-34 2.2.3.1Names 2-34 2.2.3.2Other schema attributes 2-34 2.2.3.3Non-schema attributes 2-39 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page 2.3 Group relations 2-40 2.3.1Group relation types 2-47 2.3.2 Group relation composition 2-49 2.3.2.1 Schema composition. 2-49 2.3.2.2Instance composition 2-50 2.3.3 Group relation attributes 2-50 2.3.3.1Names 2-50 2.3.3.2Other schema attributes 2-51 2.3.3.3Nonschema attributes 2-52 2.4 Entries 2-52 2.4.1Entry types 2-59 2.4.2 Entry composition 2-59 2.4.2.1 Schema composition 2-59 2.4.2.2 Instance composition 2-62 2.4.3 Entry attributes 2-64 2.4.3.1Names 2-64 2.4.3.2Other schema attributes 2-64 2.4.3.3Non-schema attributes 2-65 2.5 Files 2-66 2.5.1 File types 2-67 2.5.2 File composition 2-67 2.5.2.1 Schema composition 2-67 2.5.2.2 Instance composition 2-73 2.5.3File attributes 2-74 2.5.3.1Names 2-74 2.5.3.2Other schema attributes 2-74 2.5.3.3Non-schema attributes 2-76 2.6 Data base 2-77 2.6.1Data base composition 2-77 2.7 Data structure generalization 2-78 3. DATA DEFINITION 3-'1 3.1 Context of the data definition 3- 1 3.2 Item schema definition 3- 5 3.3 Group schema definition 3-17 3.4 Group relation schema definition 3-26 3.5 Entry schema definition 3-30 3.6 File schema definition 3-33 3.7 Data base schema definition 3-41 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page 3.8 Processing and storage of the data definition 3-41 3.9 Revision of the data definition 3-44 3.10 Auxiliary data structure definition 3-48 3.11Sample data definitions 3-58 4.