USER MANUALS

Query Constraints

To specify search methods, a series of 5-uples, which we will call “query constraints”, must be specified. The following elements should be indicated for each query constraint:

  • Attribute - is an attribute of the relation.

  • Operators - is the group of operators that can be used in the queries to this source and with this search method. ANY represents any operator admitted by the data type of the attribute. If the obligatoriness field (explained later) is NOS, the value is not specified.

  • Obligatoriness - it can have one of these three values:

    • OBL (obligatory): indicates that the attribute has to appear in any query on the source.

    • OPT (optional) indicates that the attribute can appear or not in the query (it is optional).

    • NOS (no searchable) indicates that the source does not allow querying by this attribute.

    Important

    When you use OBL, indicate a multiplicity of 1 or higher; not 0.

    When you use NOS, indicate multiplicity 0.

  • Multiplicity - indicates how many values the source can be queried simultaneously for the attribute and the given operator. The values ZERO (which is equivalent to “0”), ONE (which is equivalent to “1”), ANY and any integer number can be specified. If it is not possible to make queries for this attribute (value NOS in the obligatoriness field), the value is necessarily 0 or ZERO. ANY indicates a number of values greater than 0 but without an upper limit.

  • Possible Values - is the list of values with which the attribute can be queried. If it contains the value ANY (or it is not specified), this means that it can be queried using any value (within the range associated with the data type of the attribute). If the obligatoriness field is set in the 5-uple to the value NOS, then it necessarily takes the value of an empty set.

After specifying the query constraints, the attributes that appear in the output of the queries made through the search method are indicated. The output attributes of a search method are specified by enumerating the attributes and separating them with commas.

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