Integrating Hypermedia Functionality into Database Applications

Abstract

The general goal of our research is to automatically generate links and other hypermedia-related services to analytical applications, such as geographic information systems and decision support systems. Using a dynamic hypermedia engine (DHE), we propose to automate the following features for database systems, both on and off the Web. First, we automatically generate links based on the database’s relational (conceptual) schema and its original (non-normalized) entity-relationship specification. Second, the application developer can specify which kinds of database elements are related to diverse elements in the same or different database application, or even another software system. Our current DHE prototype illustrates these for a relational database management system. We propose integrating data warehousing applications into the DHE. We also propose incorporating data mining as a new kind of automated link generation. Passing the application element selected by a user, a data mining system would discover interesting relationships for that element. DHE would then map each relationship to a link. DHE’s linking is based on the structure of the application, not keyword search or lexical analysis based on the display values within its screens and documents. DHE aims to provide hypermedia functionality without altering applications by building “application wrappers” as an intermediary between the applications and the engine.