In a component-based approach for system design, one of the challenging problems is the way to prove the correctness of the created components. Usually, the constituent components are supposed to be correct - possessing the desirable properties and free from undesirable ones. However, the operators may destroy these properties or create new ones, resulting in an undesirable new component. Hence, every created component has to go through a new process of verification, involving a tremendous amount of effort.This book presents a component -based methodology for the creation and verification of design specifications. The methodology is formally presented as an algebra called Property-Preserving Petri Net Process Algebra (PPPA). PPPA includes five classes of operators, and the authors show that every operator of PPPA can preserve a large number of basic system properties. Therefore, if the initial set of primitive components satisfies some of these properties, the created components will also "automatically" satisfy them without the need for further verification - thus greatly saving verification efforts.

Reengineering: An Objectoriented Model for Data, Knowledge and System Reengineering (S.M. Huang et al.). Uturn Methodology: A Database Reengineering Methodology Based on the Entity -Structure- Relationship Data Model (I.K. Jeong, D.K. Baik). The Management Perspective of Database Reengineering (C. Yau). Reengineering VSAM, IMS, and DL/1 Applications into Relational Databases (R. England). Reengineering Library Data: The Long Way from ADABAS to NIMARC (D. Aebi, R. Largo). Reverse Engineering in a Client'Server Environment Case Studies on Relational Database Design (B. Siu, J. Fong). Eliminating the Impedance Mismatch between Relational Systems and Objectoriented Programming Languages (J. Chen, Q. Huang). Generalization without Reorganization in a Simple Objectoriented DBMS (T. Beldjilali). Interoperability: Semantic Query Transformation: An Approach to Achieve Semantic Interoperability in Heterogeneous Application Domains (N. Bolloju). On Interoperability Verification and Testing of Objectoriented Databases (T.Y. Kuo, T.Y. Cheung). An Objectoriented Approach to Query Interoperability (J. Zhan, W.S. Luk). Building Parameterized Canonical Representations to Achieve Interoperability among Heterogeneous Databases (Y. Chang, L. Raschid). Flexible Transaction Management in an Interoperable Database Environment (W. Yu, F. Eliassen). A Pilot Survey of Database Reengineering for Data Interoperability (I.S.Y. Kwan). Designing Client-Server Applications for Enterprise Database Connectivity (C. Moffatt). Handling Terabyte Databases on Open Systems (T. Banham). Integration: Schema Integration Methodology including Structural Conflict Resolution and Checking Similarity (G. Suzuki, M. Yamamuro). Extensional Issues in Schema Integration (M. GarciaSolaco et al.). Towards Intelligent Integration of Heterogeneous Information Sources (S.B. Navathe, M.J. Donahoo). A Business ProcessDriven Multidatabase Integration Methodology (R.M. Muhlerger, M.E. Orlowska). A Database Integration System and an Example of Its Application (A.E. James). DEE: A Data Exchange Environment (G.N. Benadjaoud, B.T. David). Database Replica Management Strategies in Multidatabase Systems with Mobile Hosts (M. Faiz, A. Zaslavsky). Providing Multidatabase Access: An Association Approach (P. Missier et al.). Index.