Temporal Databases

Abstract

Information has emerged as an agent of integration and the enabler of new competitiveness for today’s enterprise in the global marketplace. The degree of change in the paradigm for storage of data in databases is examined to determine whether it can support the accelerated response time required for information systems and technology. This paper discusses the key concepts for understanding temporal databases, including major data types and its principal purpose. Moreover, once the temporal extension is added to existing ANSI and ISO SQL standards, it will enable users to take advantage of new temporal features in the major database products.