Refactoring Methods for Knowledge Bases

The manual development of large knowledge systems is a difficult and error-prone task. In order to facilitate extensions to an existing knowledge base the structural design of the implemented knowledge needs to be improved from time to time. However, experts are often deterred even from important design improvements since some restructurings are too complex to handle. In this paper, we introduce a framework that allows for automated refactorings. Refactoring methods are well-defined and are executed in a semi-automated way. In this manner, the developer is supported during the process of restructuring of even large knowledge bases. Refactoring methods are usually applied to improve the design of the knowledge base; in this paper, we sketch some design anomalies that identify poor design of the knowledge base.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: EKAW
• Authors: Joachim Baumeister, Frank Puppe, Dietmar Seipel
• Keywords: EKAW 2004, Information Retrieval, Knowledge Base, Large Knowledge, Large Knowledge Systems