A Technique for Generalizing Temporal Durations in Relational Databases

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).