Toward network data independence

Abstract

A number of researchers have become interested in the design of global-scale networked systems and applications. Our thesis here is that the database community's principles and technologies have an important role to play in the design of these systems. The point of departure is at the roots of database research: we generalize Codd's notion of data independence to physical environments beyond storage systems. We note analogies between the development of database indexes and the new generation of structured peer-to-peer networks. We illustrate the emergence of data independence in networks by surveying a number of recent network facilities and applications, seen through a database lens. We present a sampling of database query processing techniques that can contribute in this arena, and discuss methods for adoption of these technologies.