Constraint-based updates in a functional data model database

1995 Declaration This thesis has been composed by myself, it has not been accepted in any previous application for a degree, the work of which it is a record has been done by myself and all quotations have been distinguished by quotations marks and the sources of information specially acknowledged. i Acknowledgements I would like, rst of all, to express my thanks to my two supervisors: Prof. Peter Gray for all his help and encouragement over the past three (and a bit) years and for entrusting me with the care of the backs of one or two of his envelopes, and Prof. John Fothergill for his patience in explaining the intricacies of protein structure to me and for putting up with the many grammatical barbarisms of computing jargon. I would also like to thank the current and ex-members of the Object Database Group at Aberdeen, who have kept me entertained in one way and another during the stresses and strains of my time at Aberdeen. In particular, I should like to thank Dr. Zhuoan Jiao for her constant friendship and generosity and never-failing cheerfulness (even when in the middle of writing her thesis or proofreading parts of mine!), Dr. Oscar Diaz for allowing me to proofread his thesis and for making meta-classes seem easy, Dr. Graham Kemp for his helpful comments on parts of my thesis, for providing me with some interesting biochemical applications of my work and for allowing me to use copies of two of his photographs in this thesis 1 , and Dr. Martin Jones for giving up part of his holiday to proofread some of my thesis and for all the \Dave Barry". Thanks also to Scott Leishman for his proofreading eeorts and for volunteering to take that awful Indy oo my hands, and to John Owens and John Boyle for general entertainment value. All I can say is that sharing an ooce with you lot has deenitely been an experience! Particular thanks must be given to Nicolas Graner for many very happy lunch hours discussing English novels and French words and Scottish dances. And thanks also to Sylvie and Lucile Graner for their friendship and for letting me babysit. That was an experience too! Thanks also to Dr. Pat Fothergill for her generous hospitality and wonderful 1 Horse Haemaglobin and Concanavalin A, shown on page 9. ii iii cheesecake. To Yumiko Ishitani for feeding me …