Generating relational database transactions from eb3 attribute definitions

Abstracteb3 is a trace-based formal language created for the specification of information systems. In eb3, each entity and association attribute is independently defined by a recursive function on the valid traces of external events. This paper describes an algorithm that generates, for each external event, a transaction that updates the value of affected attributes in their relational database representation. The benefits are twofold: eb3 attribute specifications are automatically translated into executable programs, eliminating system design and implementation steps; the construction of information systems is streamlined, because eb3 specifications are simpler and shorter to write than corresponding traditional specifications, design and implementations. In particular, the paper shows that simple eb3 constructs can replace complex SQL queries which are typically difficult to write.