The software engineering of extensible database systems

Summary form only given. Extensible DBMS (database management system) technology is aimed at simplifying the customization of DBMSs for specialized applications. Customization may involve the introduction of new data types and operators, support for new data languages and data models, new storage structures, and new relational operators. It is pointed out that to achieve these ambitious goals, an open system architecture is needed for database system software. One approach is to provide a toolkit which encompasses basic facilities and a supportive programming environment. Another approach is to standardize interfaces to promote the plug-compatibility, interchangeability, and reusability of modules. A third approach is to be more cautious, and provide a fixed software architecture that is amenable only to certain types of extensions. Despite differences, an underlying theme in all approaches is the software engineering of DBMSs. Prototypes are now operational which exemplify each (or combinations) of these approaches