GUIDE: Graphical User Interface for Database Exploration

This paper describes a system which uses graphics devices as tools to interface to complex databases. The difficulties associated with using query languages for large, complex databases such as some of the statistical databases (e.g., Census data, energy data) are examined, We will describe a system containing features such as subject directories, help messages, zooming facilities to the relevant part of the database schema, and partial query formulation with intermediate results. The system offers a graphics interface to the user. The database schema is displayed as a network of entity and relationship types. Queries can be expressed as traversal paths on this network. Partial queries (called “local queries”) can be formulated and represented graphically and database retrieval results of any local query are available at any time. Local queries can be linked together to form larger queries and provide the basis for building queries in a piecemeal fashion. Parts of the schema can be selectively made visible or invisible and provide the basis of representing multiple levels of details of the schema.