Query evaluation for distributed heterogeneous relational databases

Abstract

In this article, we consider the query evaluation problem in relational multidatabases and develop a method for generating optimal plans for queries submitted to such a system. Three aspects will be discussed: query transformation, join tree balance and node allocation. For query translation, the concept of relation structure terms (RST) is introduced. Based on RSTs, we can transform a query into another form automatically by constructing derivation rules for them. Further, we extend the approach for balancing a join tree proposed by Du et al. so that more balanced join trees can be obtained. Lastly, we present the concept of dynamic time tables for performing node allocation in a dynamic programming manner.