Supporting Exploratory Queries in Databases

Users of database applications, especially in the e-commerce domain, often resort to exploratory "trial-and-error" queries since the underlying data space is huge and unfamiliar, and there are several alternatives for search attributes in this space. For example, scouting for cheap airfares typically involves posing multiple queries, varying flight times, dates, and airport locations. Exploratory queries are problematic from the perspective of both the user and the server. For the database server, it results in a drastic reduction in effective throughput since much of the processing is duplicated in each successive query. For the client, it results in a marked increase in response times, especially when accessing the service through wireless channels. In this paper, we investigate the design of automated techniques to minimize the need for repetitive exploratory queries. Specifically, we present SAUNA, a serverside query relaxation algorithm that, given the user's initia...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: DASFAA
• Authors: Abhijit Kadlag, Amol V. Wanjari, Juliana Freire, Jayant R. Haritsa
• Keywords: DASFAA 2004, Database, Exploratory Queries, Relaxed Queries, Repetitive Exploratory Queries