XPath-Logic and XPathLog: A Logic-Programming Style XML Data Manipulation Language

Title: XPath-Logic and XPathLog: A Logic-Programming Style XML Data Manipulation Language

Research Question: How can a logic-programming style language be used to query and manipulate XML data more effectively and intuitively than existing methods?

Methodology: The researchers developed XPath-Logic and XPathLog, an extension of the XPath language, by incorporating variable bindings and embedding it into first-order logic. This allows for a declarative, rule-based approach to XML data manipulation. The model-theoretic semantics of XPath-Logic serves as the basis for XPathLog, providing a logic-programming language for querying and manipulating XML data. An equivalent answer-set semantics is also provided for evaluating XPathLog queries.

Results: The researchers demonstrated that XPath-Logic and XPathLog provide a clear, declarative language for querying and manipulating XML data, especially in the context of XML data integration. They showed that these languages are more intuitive and easier to understand than existing methods, such as XQuery, due to their use of the XPath syntax and semantics and the concept of variable bindings.

Implications: The development of XPath-Logic and XPathLog has significant implications for the field of XML data manipulation. By providing a logic-programming style language that is based on the XPath language, these tools offer a more intuitive and effective approach to querying and manipulating XML data. This can lead to improved performance, easier program development, and more efficient data integration in XML-based systems. Additionally, the use of a logic-programming framework allows for the application of well-established logic programming semantics, providing a global semantics for XPath-Logic and XPathLog programs that aligns with their intuitive operation.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0311038v1 Authors: arXiv ID: 0311038v1