Temporal Database Concepts

This chapter will provide you with complex information related to temporal modeling and physical data model representations. You will be introduced to the historical evolution of databases originating from conventional (non-temporal) models by using additional extensions, following which the processing level – object, attribute, and group granularity – will be discussed. The object level is signified by the primary key extension, while attribute granularity associates the temporal sphere for each attribute separately. Therefore, a universal solution is built on group granularity, where temporal groups can be composed dynamically based on real workloads. Thanks to that, the system can automatically apply new rules and build on and structure existing groups. However, always keep in mind that the principle of the temporal table is based on the opportunity to hold multiple states for each object, delimited by the validity time frame.

We will...