research-article

Growing up with stability

Authors:

Ioannis Skoulis,

Panos Vassiliadis,

Apostolos V. ZarrasAuthors Info & Claims

Information Systems, Volume 53, Issue C

Pages 363 - 385

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2015.03.009

Published: 01 October 2015 Publication History

Abstract

Like all software systems, databases are subject to evolution as time passes. The impact of this evolution can be vast as a change to the schema of a database can affect the syntactic correctness and the semantic validity of all the surrounding applications. In this paper, we have performed a thorough, large-scale study on the evolution of databases that are part of larger open source projects, publicly available through open source repositories. Lehman s laws of software evolution, a well-established set of observations on how the typical software systems evolve (matured during the last forty years), has served as our guide towards providing insights on the mechanisms that govern schema evolution. Much like software systems, we found that schemata expand over time, under a stabilization mechanism that constraints uncontrolled expansion with perfective maintenance. At the same time, unlike typical software systems, the growth is typically low, with long periods of calmness interrupted by bursts of maintenance and a surprising lack of complexity increase.

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Cited By

Dimolikas KZarras AVassiliadis P(2020)A Study on the Effect of a Table’s Involvement in Foreign Keys to its Schema EvolutionConceptual Modeling10.1007/978-3-030-62522-1_34(456-470)Online publication date: 3-Nov-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-62522-1_34
Papamichail AZarras AVassiliadis P(2020)Do People Use Naming Conventions in SQL Programming?SOFSEM 2020: Theory and Practice of Computer Science10.1007/978-3-030-38919-2_35(429-440)Online publication date: 20-Jan-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-38919-2_35
Vassiliadis PKolozoff MZerva MZarras A(2019)Schema evolution and foreign keys: a study on usage, heartbeat of change and relationship of foreign keys to table activityComputing10.1007/s00607-019-00702-x101:10(1431-1456)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s00607-019-00702-x
Show More Cited By

Growing up with stability
1. Computing methodologies
  1. Machine learning
    1. Learning paradigms
      1. Supervised learning
2. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Management of computing and information systems
      1. Software management

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cover image Information Systems

Information Systems Volume 53, Issue C

October 2015

385 pages

ISSN:0306-4379

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © Elsevier Ltd.

Publisher

Elsevier Science Ltd.

United Kingdom

Publication History

Published: 01 October 2015

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Cited By

Dimolikas KZarras AVassiliadis P(2020)A Study on the Effect of a Table’s Involvement in Foreign Keys to its Schema EvolutionConceptual Modeling10.1007/978-3-030-62522-1_34(456-470)Online publication date: 3-Nov-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-62522-1_34
Papamichail AZarras AVassiliadis P(2020)Do People Use Naming Conventions in SQL Programming?SOFSEM 2020: Theory and Practice of Computer Science10.1007/978-3-030-38919-2_35(429-440)Online publication date: 20-Jan-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-38919-2_35
Vassiliadis PKolozoff MZerva MZarras A(2019)Schema evolution and foreign keys: a study on usage, heartbeat of change and relationship of foreign keys to table activityComputing10.1007/s00607-019-00702-x101:10(1431-1456)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s00607-019-00702-x
Chahal KSaini M(2016)Open Source Software EvolutionInternational Journal of Open Source Software and Processes10.4018/IJOSSP.20160101027:1(28-48)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.4018/IJOSSP.2016010102

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