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Deductive Databases-Theory Meets Practice
Carlo Zaniolo
MCC
3500 West Balcones Center Drive
Austin, Texas 78759
USA
Abstract

Deductive Databases are coming of age with the emergence of efficient and easy to use
systems that support queries, reasoning, and application development on databases through
declarative logic-based languages. Building on solid theoretical foundations, the field has ben-
efited in the recent years form dramatic advances in the enabling technology.
This progress   is demonstrated by the completion of prototype systems offering such levels of generality, performance and robustness that they support well complex application development.
Valuable know-how has emerged from the experience of building and using these systems: we have
learned about algorithms and architectures for building powerful deductive database systems,
and we begin to understand the programming environments and paradigms they are conducive
to. Thus, several application areas have been identified where these systems are particularly
effective, including areas well beyond the domain of traditional database applications.
Finally, the design and deployment of deductive databases has provided new stimulus and a focus to
further research into several fundamental issues. As a result, the theory of the field has made
significant progress on topics such as semantic extensions to Horn logic and algorithms for
compilation and optimization of declarative programs. Thus, a beneficial interaction between
theory and practice remains one of the strengths of Deductive Databases as the field is entering
the ‘90s and the age of technological maturity.

Background

Deductive Databases that support logic-based languages. Databases began in the “7Os, with most of the early work
Interest in the area of Deductive
focusing on establishing the theoretical foundations for the field. An excellent review of this
work and the beneficial impact that it had on various...