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SQL-Based Temporal Query Languages

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Encyclopedia of Database Systems

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Definition

More than two dozen extensions to the relational data model have been proposed that support the storage and retrieval of time-referenced data. These models timestamp tuples or attribute values, and the timestamps used include time points, time periods, and finite unions of time periods, termed temporal elements.

A temporal query language is defined in the context of a specific data model. Most notably, it supports the specification of queries on the specific form of time-referenced data provided by its data model. More generally, it enables the management of time-referenced data.

Different approaches to the design of a temporal extension to the Structured Query Language (SQL) have emerged that yield temporal query languages with quite different design properties.

Historical Background

A number of past events and activities that included the temporal database community at large had a significant impact on the evolution of temporal query languages. The 1987 IFIP TC 8/WG 8.1...

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Recommended Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

    Michael H. Böhlen & Johann Gamper

  2. Aalborg University, Selma Lagerlöfs Vej 300, DK-9220, Aalborg Øst, Denmark

    Christian S. Jensen PhD

  3. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Richard T. Snodgrass

Authors
  1. Michael H. Böhlen
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  2. Johann Gamper
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  3. Christian S. Jensen PhD
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  4. Richard T. Snodgrass
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael H. Böhlen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Ling Liu

  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Richard T. Snodgrass

  2. Aalborg University, Selma Lagerlöfs Vej 300, DK-9220, Aalborg Øst, Denmark

    Christian S. Jensen Ph.D.

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Böhlen, M.H., Gamper, J., Jensen, C.S., Snodgrass, R.T. (2016). SQL-Based Temporal Query Languages. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_1525-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_1525-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7993-3

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