Ontology based semantic query processing in database systems

Currently, database management systems solely rely on exact syntax of queries to retrieve data. As consequence query answers often do not meet the user’s intention. In this thesis we propose an ontology-based semantic query processing approach for database systems. We use ontologies to transform a user query into another query that may provide a more meaningful answer to the user. For this purpose, we define and specify different mappings that relate concepts of an ontology with those of an underlying database and develop a set of algorithms that allow us to find these mappings in a semi-automatic way. Moreover, we propose a set of semantic rules for transforming queries using terms derived from the ontology. We classify the rules and demonstrate their usefulness using practical examples. Furthermore, we make use of the theory of term rewriting systems to formalize the transformation process and to study the basic properties for applying these rules. Finally, we implement a prototype system using current technologies and evaluate its capability by using a real world application.