Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
THE ASSERTED VERSIONING
GLOSSARY
This Glossary contains approximately 300 definitions, nearly all
of which are specific to Asserted Versioning. Most expressions
have both a
Mechanics
entry and a
Semantics
entry. A Mechan-
ics entry describes how the defined concept is implemented in
the “machinery” of Asserted Versioning. A Semantics entry
describes what that concept means. We can also think of a
Mechanics entry as telling us what a component of Asserted
Versioning is or what it does, and a Semantics entry as telling
us why it is important.
In linguistics, the usual contrast to semantics is syntax.
But syntax is only the bill of materials of Asserted Versioning.
The Asserted Versioning Framework, or any other implementa-
tion of Asserted Versioning, has an intricately interconnected
set of parts, which correspond to the syntax of a language.
But when it is turned on, it is a software engine which translates
metadata and data models into the database schemas it uses to
do its work, transforms the data instances it manages from one
state to another state, augments or diminishes the totality of
the representation of the objects its data corresponds to, and
facilitates the ultimate purpose of this wealth of activity, which
is to provide meaningful information about the time-varying
state of the world an enterprise is a part of and needs to remain
cognizant of.
Grammar
Grammatical variations of the same glossary term will not
usually be distinguished. Thus both “version” and “versions”
are in this topic, but only the former is a Glossary entry.
“Currently asserted” is listed as a component of one or more
definitions, but the corresponding Glossary entry is “current
assertion”.
Dates and Times
All references to points in time in this Glossary, unless other-
wise noted, refer to them using the word “date”. This is done
for the same reason that all examples of points in time in the
