Webformulate: a web-based visual continual query system

Today there is a plethora of data accessible via the Internet. The Web has greatly simplified the process of searching for, accessing, and sharing information. However, a considerable amount of Internet-distributed data still goes unnoticed and unutilized, particularly in the case of frequently-updated, Internet-distributed databases. In this paper we give an overview of WebFormulate, a Web-based visual continual query system that addresses the problems associated with formulating temporal ad hoc analyses over networks of heterogeneous, frequently-updated data sources. The main distinction between this system and existing Internet facilities to retrieve information and assimilate it into computations is that WebFormulate provides the necessary facilities to perform continual queries, developing and maintaining dynamic links such that Web-based computations and reports automatically maintain themselves. A further distinction is that this system is specifically designed for users of spreadsheet-level ability, rather than professional programmers.