Fuzzy XML data modeling with the UML and relational data models

Information imprecision and uncertainty exist in many real-world applications and for this reason fuzzy data modeling has been extensively investigated in various data models. Currently, huge amounts of electronic data are available on the Internet, and XML has been the de facto standard of information representation and exchange over the Web. This paper focuses on fuzzy XML data modeling, which is mainly involved in the representation model of the fuzzy XML, its conceptual design, and its storage in databases. Based on ‘‘possibility distribution theory’’, we developed this fuzzy XML data model. We developed this fuzzy UML data model to design the fuzzy XML model conceptually. We investigated the formal conversions from the fuzzy UML model to the fuzzy XML model and the formal mapping from the fuzzy XML model to the fuzzy relational databases. 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.