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Boolean conjunctive query

In the theory of relational databases, a Boolean conjunctive query is a conjunctive query without distinguished predicates, i.e., a query in the form R_1(t_1) \wedge \cdots \wedge R_n(t_n) , where each R_i is a relation symbol and each t_i is a tuple of variables and constants; the number of elements in t_i is equal to the arity of R_i . Such a query evaluates to either true or false depending on whether the relations in the database contain the appropriate tuples of values, i.e. the conjunction is valid according to the facts in the database. As an example, if a database schema contains the relation symbols (binary, who's the father of whom) and (unary, who is employed), a conjunctive query could be Father(\text{Mark}, x) \wedge Employed(x) . This query evaluates to true if there exists an individual who is a child of Mark and employed. In other words, this query expresses the question: "does Mark have an employed child?"

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Article summary

In the theory of relational databases, a Boolean conjunctive query is a conjunctive query without distinguished predicates, i.e., a query in the form R_1(t_1) \wedge \cdots \wedge R_n(t_n) , where each R_i is a relation symbol and each t_i is a tuple of variables and constants; the number of elements in t_i is equal to the arity of R_i . Such a query evaluates to either true or false depending on whether the relations in the database contain the appropriate tuples of values, i.e. the conjunction is valid according to the facts in the database. As an example, if a database schema contains the relation symbols (binary, who's the father of whom) and (unary, who is employed), a conjunctive query could be Father(\text{Mark}, x) \wedge Employed(x) . This query evaluates to true if there exists an individual who is a child of Mark and employed. In other words, this query expresses the question: "does Mark have an employed child?"

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  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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