Unit four, section three#
Compilers and language translation
Assignment 4 (chapter four, section three)#
Discuss what other information, in addition to name and data type, might be kept in a semantic record. From where would this other information come?
Answer#
A semantic record keeps a lot of rich metadata-like information beyond the basic types like name and data, which may be more prevalent as entries or records found in relational database management systems. It has contextual information that defines the meaning, constraints, relationships, and use of the data types. The extra information can include a wide variety of details like descriptions, various units of measurements, permission controls, and relationships to other data record types.
Unlike a simple database using a relational database management system approach (i.e one built with Microsoft Access), semantic data allows more meaningful queries and context. In real-world applications, some wikis use the resource description framework (RDF) and SPARQL queries, which are designed to express relationships and meanings between data, rather than just storing raw values and relying on foreign keys to map relationships.
The sources for this information come from system designers who seek or leverage existing domain knowledge.
Works cited#
Schneider, G. Michael, and Judith Gersting. Invitation to Computer Science. 6th ed., Cengage Learning, 2013.