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International Conference on Database Theory

ICDT 1992: Database Theory — ICDT '92 pp 124–139Cite as

Query languages with counters

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 646))

Abstract

We investigate the expressive power of query languages with counting ability. We define a LOGSPACE extension of first order logic and a PTIME extension of fixpoint logic with counters. We develop specific techniques, such as games, for dealing with languages with counters and therefore integers. We prove in particular that the arity of the tuples which are counted induces a strict expressivity hierarchy. We also establish results about the asymptotic probabilities of sentences with counters. In particular we show that first order logic with comparison of the cardinalities of relations has a. 0/1 law.

Work supported in part by the Projet de Recherches Coordonnées BD3 and by an INRIA-NSF cooperation grant.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. I.N.R.I.A., Rocquencourt, BP 105, 78153, Le Chesnay, France

    Stéphane Grumbach

  2. LIPN-Institut Galilée, Université Paris-Nord, 93430, Villetaneuse, France

    Christophe Tollu

Authors
  1. Stéphane Grumbach
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  2. Christophe Tollu
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Editor information

Joachim Biskup Richard Hull

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Grumbach, S., Tollu, C. (1992). Query languages with counters. In: Biskup, J., Hull, R. (eds) Database Theory — ICDT '92. ICDT 1992. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 646. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56039-4_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56039-4_37

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56039-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47360-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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