Which Metaphor for Which Database?

The role of the users and their needs are now recognized in the database community. Many efforts are devoted to improve the quality of the interaction between the user and the database. For designing better interfaces that make the systems more usable, the use of suitable metaphors is crucial. The problem we address in this paper is whether an appropriate notion of metaphor can be tailored to the database interaction, so reflecting the peculiarities and needs of this specific field. Our argument originates from a recently published paper that presents a formalism whose aim is to provide a framework for flexible use, definition, and evaluation of visual metaphors in the specific case of database schemata. By discussing such a paper, we try to clarify concepts such as metaphor, data model, visual representation, etc. We also highlight some peculiarities of the database interaction. The considerations presented in this paper should constitute a basis towards a formal approach to metaphorical design for database interaction.