Towards Query Interoperability: PASSing PLUS

We describe our experiences importing PASS [16] provenance into PLUS [7]. Although both systems import and export provenance that conforms to the Open Provenance Model (OPM) [14], the two systems vary greatly with respect to the granularity of provenance captured, how much semantic knowledge the system contributes, and the completeness of provenance capture. We encountered several problems reconciling provenance between the two systems and use that experience to specify a Common Provenance Framework, that provides a higher degree of interoperability between provenance systems. In each case, the problems stem from the fact that OPM interoperability is a weaker requirement than query interoperability. Our goal in presenting this work is to generate discussion about differing degrees of interoperability and the requirements thereof.