Non-first normal form universal relations: An application to information retrieval systems

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The relational model has gained wide popularity because it is conceptually simple and provides “physical independence”. Furthermore, the universal relation model provides “logical independence”, while non-first normal form relations further simplify the conceptual view. A number of proposals have been made to apply database techniques to Information Retrieval (DBMIRS); this is principally due to the commonality of functions in Database Management systems and Information Retrieval Systems. The proposals have, most commonly, included attempts to extend the relational model, thus losing some of the inherent simplicity of the relational model. In this paper we propose the use of non-first normal form universal relations to simply the user interface in DBMIRS.