This high-risk, high-payoff project seeks to make database management systems much more usable than they are today, through the introduction of a new presentation data model. Traditionally, database management systems have had two conceptual layers -- a physical layer comprising the actual implementation and a logical layer comprising a formal decomposition of a database into tables, rows, constraints, etc. The user interacts with the logical layer, and is shielded from physical layer implementation details. This project introduces a new presentation layer above the traditional logical layer. The user interacts with this presentation layer, and is shielded from logical layer details such as relational decomposition and joins. Through this means the root cause underlying much of the complexity of interacting with traditional database systems is eliminated. This project includes work both to develop the theoretical underpinnings of the presentation data model as well as to construct a prototype system representing a vertical slice through the three layers.
The broader impact of this project is in the potential for this project to greatly improve the way databases are used, not just by computer scientists but also by researchers in other disciplines and by the public at large. The project directly supports the training of one doctoral student, and indirectly impacts the education and training of several additional students, both graduate and undergraduate, through their participation in directed projects. The project web-site is www.eecs.umich.edu/db/usable
