FINDIT: A Server Based Approach to Finding Information in Large Scale Heterogeneous Databases

Finding information in large scale autonomous heterogeneous databases is an issue that has been virtually unexplored in database research. We describe a new approach for nding information in a large scale network of autonomous and heterogeneous databases. In our scheme, no a priori knowledge of the database schemas or the space of information is necessary to locate information. The system relies on an object-oriented architecture to educate users about the available space of information and help them locate information sources. The system, named FINDIT, accommodates database autonomy as well as heterogeneity by separating the education of users about and nding information sources from the actual manipulation thereof. To ensure information abstraction and encap-sulation, the system is divided into three categories, namely, user servers, database servers, and databases. User servers are geared towards satisfying users needs while database servers are in charge of managing databases.