Reusing (Shrink Wrap) Schemas by Modifying Concept Schemas

We provide mechanisms that facilitate database design based on a shrink wrap schema. A shrink wrap schema is a well-crafted, complete, global schema that represents an application. We develop the notion of concept schemas as a way to decompose shrink wrap schemas. A concept schema is a subset of an application schema that addresses one particular point of view in an application. To aid in shrink wrap schema-based design, we define schema modification operations to customize each concept schema, to match the designer's perception of the application. We maintain the integrated, customized user schema. We enforce consistency checks to provide feedback to the designer about interactions among the concept schemas. We embody these mechanisms in an interactive system that aids in shrink wrap schema-based design. Our approach simplifies database design, particularly for a complex data model and/or complex schema. Our main contribution lies in the ability to use a shrink wrap schema as a starting point for modeling an application area. The shrink wrap schema approach promotes reuse of past design efforts; prior approaches to schema reuse do not attempt to reuse an entire schema nor do they focus on local customization. The focus of this paper is on the definition of concept schemas and their corresponding modification operations.