Ambiguity In Processing Boolean Queries On TDMS Tree Structures: A Study Of Four Different Philosophies

This paper defines and demonstrates four philosophies for processing queries on tree structures; shows that the data semantics of queries should be described by designating sets of nodes from which values for attributes may be returned to the data consumer; shows that the data semantics of database processing can be specified totally independent of any machine, file structure or implementation; shows that set theory is a natural and effective vehicle for analyzing the semantics of queries on tree structures; and finally, shows that BOLTS is an adequate formalism for conveying the semantics of tree structure processing.