Building a database feedback system

Abstract

Previous research has shown that user accuracy in database retrievals can be greatly improved by the provision of a conceptual level interface. However, there are still certain queries that are quite difficult. This calls for a feedback system which can provide feedback, regarding the system's interpretation of the query, to further enhance the user's accuracy, with the ultimate goal of 100% accuracy. This paper describes the design and implementation of a database feedback system on top of MERM, a Modified Entity-Relationship Model based DBMS. Specifically, the database feedback system performs the following functions:. -it provides English translation of the query;. -it shows syntax errors and suggests possible solutions to rephrase a syntactically wrong query; and. -it shows likely semantic errors and suggests possible solutions. The results of a laboratory experiment which studies the effects of the database feedback system on user's performance is also reported in this paper. © 1994 Academic Press. All rights reserved.