Interaction with databases

Dramatic changes prompted by the growing global Internet affect how users deal with information. We are passing from a world in which a few devotees managed information to an environment in which many people consume widespread, diffuse information. Along with the excitement comes the recognition that information consumers need effective and efficient tools. Together with unstructured information-such as most of the documents on the World Wide Web-the information highway provides access to structured information residing in database management systems (DBMSs). In these systems, browsing, navigation, access and retrieval rely on (sometimes) complicated queries. Query results might force the user to go over long lists of information. Visual representations of the database structure and contents, query and search results make interactions with DBMSs simpler and more accessible to people from all walks of life. Crucial issues affect (1) interacting with databases in the global information infrastructure, (2) creating a visual approach to database interfaces, and (3) interacting with hypermedia systems