Schema Evolution publication categorizer

EXPRESS is an experimental prototype data translation system which can access a wide
variety of data and restructure it for new uses. The system is driven by two very high level
nonprocedural languages: DEFINE for data description and CONVERT for data restructuring.
Program generation and cooperating process techniques are used to achieve efficient operation.
This paper describes the design and implementation of EXPRESS. DEFINE and CONVERT
are summarized and the implementation architecture presented.
The DEFINE description is compiled into a customized PL/l program for accessing source
data. The restructuring specified in CONVERT is compiled into a set of customized PL/l procedures
to derive multiple target files from multiple input files. Job steps and job control
statements are generated automatically. During execution, the generated procedures run
under control of a process supervisor, which coordinates buffer management and handles file
allocation, deallocation, and all input/output requests.
The architecture of EXPRESS allows efficiency in execution by avoiding unnecessary secondary storage references while at the same time allowing the individual procedures to be independent of each other. Its modular structure permits the system to be extended or transferred to another environment easily.