A Technique for Generalizing Temporal Durations in Relational Databases

D. J. Randall, Howard J. Hamilton, and R. J. Hilderman

We address the problem of generalizing temporal data concerning durations extracted from relational databases. Our approach is based on a domain generalization graph that defines a partial order specifying the generalization relations for a duration attribute. This domain generalization graph is reusable (i.e., can be used to generalize any duration attribute), adaptable {i.e., can be extended or restricted as appropriate for particular applications), and transportable (i.e., can be used with any database containing a duration attribute).