A formal specification model and its application in multidatabase systems

The concept of a common data model is central to the process of schema integration in multidatabase systems. The common data model is used to represent the sharable knowledge of each component database system and, as such, must have at least the same representational power as any of the local data models.This paper examines the applicability of formal specification languages and techniques to the design of a common data model. The result is a common data model, called the formal specification model (FSM), which is a complete, independent data representation for describing the semantics of objects and their relationships. The paper discusses how the FSM can be used as the basis for a general framework for schema integration in multidatabase systems.

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