Selected Tyoon Project Publications

Please note that further specific research results of the Tycoon project can be found in our group's full publication list (papers, technical report, theses, slides) or using a form-based full-text search in our local databases.

Overview Papers

The book [Matt93] is the most comprehensive reference for Tycoon. It describes Tycoon's higher-order type system, some of its generic libraries, its compiler and run-time architecture, and it gives examples of functional, relational, and object-oriented programming styles in Tycoon. This German (sorry!) text is a based on the PhD Thesis of Florian Matthes.

A forthcoming Springer book presents the main research achievements of the European basic research project FIDE (fully integrated data environments) and contains a rather complete collection of up-to-date Tycoon papers. For example, [MSS95] provides an up-to-date overview of the Tycoon system based on the Tycoon architecture described in [MaSc93a].

Tycoon Language Level (TL)

The technical report [MMS94] gives a step-by-step introduction into Tycoon's language concepts and is an excellent starting point to learn how to actually program data-intensive applications in the Tycoon language TL.

A more high-level, concept-oriented overview of TL's innovative language features (higher-order subtyping, higher-order dynamic types, libraries, extensible grammars) is given in [Matt95]. A formal definition of the Tycoon language TL (syntax and static semantics) can be found in [MaSc92].

Due to Tycoon's high degree of polymorphism, we felt a need to provide programmers with a dynamic mechanism to tailor TL's concrete syntax to meet the needs of specific application domains. Tycoon's extensible grammars are described in [CMA94] and in [CMA94a]. In [MSW95] it is explained how extensible grammars can be exploited to support high-level data modeling in the TL language avoiding the need for source code generators that map high-level (e.g., object-oriented) system designs into executable TL code.

Recently, we investigated a purely object-oriented variant of the TL language, called TooL which is described in [GaMa95a]. TooL integrates subtyping, type matching and type quantification in a compact, second-order type system.

Tycoon Intermediate Language Level (TML)

TML, the abstract persistent intermediate code representation developed in the Tycoon project to fully integrate static and dynamic code analysis and rewriting is described in [GaMa96a]. The use of persistent TML terms for the integration of query and program optimization is described in [GaMa95b].

Tycoon Store Level (TSP)

The Tycoon Store Protocol (TSP) described in [MMS95c] specifies a clean interface between the frontend and the backend of fully integrated persistent environments. In contrast to high-level relational or object-oriented database languages, TSP is based on a low level, untyped, but highly flexible store model that is particularly well-suited for the implementation of higher-order persistent polymorphic languages.

Exploiting Mobility and Persistence

Tycoon's persistent threads were first presented in a VLDB paper [MaSc94] as a database programming concept particularly well-suited for applications that manage long-term, distributed or cooperative activities.

In two subsequent papers, [MMS95a] and [MMS95b], we have investigated thread migration as a programming construct for building activity-oriented distributed applications. We showed how a straight-forward extension of a higher-order persistent language can be used to define activities that span multiple (semi-) autonomous nodes in heterogeneous networks.

The execution and migration of Tycoon programs in open networks raises several challenging authentication, access control and auditing issues that are outlined in [RMS95]. Following Tycoon's design principles, we again strive for a flexible, add-on solution to these problems.

Aspects of our recent work on workflow enactment using Tycoon are described in a position paper [Stam95].

Miscellaneous

Bulk structures play a central role in data-intensive application programming. The issues of bulk type definition and implementation as well as their integration into database programming languages are, therefore, key topics in current DBPL research. The paper [MaSc91b] raise a more general language design and implementation issue by asking whether there should be at all built-in bulk types in DBPLs. This paper laid the foundation for Tycoon's add-on bulk type library approach.

The object-oriented Style data modeling workbench described in [WMS95] provides an integrated set of graphical and textual modeling tools, generation support and data model animation. The Style workbench utilizes TL both as its tool implementation platform as well as its target platform.

The Tycoon System and Library Manual [MMM93] provides a practical introduction to the interactive Tycoon system environment and its polymorphic libraries. It explains how to bind external C libraries to Tycoon programs and how to work with persistent stores. Moreover, it proposes formatting und naming guidelines for Tycoon programs. Note that some of the information in this document is outdated.

A programmer manual [SchMa92] explains the use of the Tycoon compiler toolkit that is excelled by its abilty to dynamically generate and bind type-safe parsers into running applications.

References

[CMA94] L. Cardelli, F. Matthes, and M. Abadi. Extensible Grammars for Language Specialization. In C. Beeri, A. Ohori, and D.E. Shasha, editors, Database Programming Languages (DBPL-4), Workshops in Computing. Springer-Verlag, February 1994. (download paper)

[CMA94a] L. Cardelli, F. Matthes, and M. Abadi. Extensible Syntax with Lexical Scoping. Technical Report 121, Digital Equipment Corporation, Systems Research Center, Palo-Alto, California, February 1994. (download paper)

[GaMa95b] A. Gawecki and F. Matthes. Integrating Query and Program Optimization Using Persistent CPS Representations. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. (download paper)

[GaMa95a] A. Gawecki and F. Matthes. TooL: A Persistent Language Integrating Subtyping, Matching and Type Quantification. FIDE Technical Report Series FIDE/95/135, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ, 1995. (download paper)

[GaMa96a] A. Gawecki and F. Matthes. Exploiting Persistent Intermediate Code Representations in Open Database Environments. In Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Extending Database Technology, EDBT'96, Avignon, France, March 1996. (to appear). (download paper)

[Matt93] F. Matthes. Persistente Objektsysteme: Integrierte Datenbankentwicklung und Programmerstellung. Springer-Verlag, 1993.

[Matt95] F. Matthes. Higher-Order Persistent Polymorphic Programming in Tycoon. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. (download paper)

[MMM93] B. Mathiske, F. Matthes, and S. Müßig. The Tycoon System and Library Manual. DBIS Tycoon Report 212-93, Fachbereich Informatik, Universität Hamburg, Germany, December 1993. (Revised 19-jan-1996). (download paper)

[MMS94] F. Matthes, S. Müßig, and J.W Schmidt. Persistent Polymorphic Programming in Tycoon: An Introduction. FIDE Technical Report Series FIDE/94/106, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ, August 1994. (download paper)

[MMS95a] B. Mathiske, F. Matthes, and J.W. Schmidt. On Migrating Threads. In Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Next Generation Information Technologies and Systems, Naharia, Israel, June 1995. Also appeared as TR FIDE/95/136, FIDE Technical Report Series, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ. (download paper)

[MMS95b] B. Mathiske, F. Matthes, and J.W. Schmidt. Scaling Database Languages to Higher-Order Distributed Programming. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Workshop on Database Programming Languages, Gubbio, Italy, September 1995. Also appeared as TR FIDE/95/137, FIDE Technical Report Series, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ. (download paper)

[MMS95c] F. Matthes, R. Müller, and J.W. Schmidt. Towards a Unified Model of Untyped Object Stores: Experience with the Tycoon Store Protocol. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. (download paper)

[MaSc91b] F. Matthes and J.W. Schmidt. Bulk Types: Built-In or Add-On?. In Proceedings of the Third International Workshop on Database Programming Languages, Nafplion, Greece. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, September 1991. Also appeared as TR FIDE/91/27, FIDE Technical Report Series, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ. (download paper)

[MaSc92] F. Matthes and J.W. Schmidt. Definition of the Tycoon Language - A Preliminary Report. Informatik Fachbericht FBI-HH-B-160/92, Fachbereich Informatik, Universität Hamburg, Germany, October 1992. (Revised 17-aug-1995). (download paper)

[MaSc93a] F. Matthes and J.W. Schmidt. System Construction in the Tycoon Environment: Architectures, Interfaces and Gateways. In Proceedings of Euro-Arch'93 Congress. Springer-Verlag, October 1993. (download paper)

[MaSc94] F. Matthes and J.W. Schmidt. Persistent Threads. In Proceedings of the Twentieth International Conference on Very Large Data Bases, VLDB, pages 403-414, Santiago, Chile, September 1994. (An extended version of this text appeared as [MaSc94b]). (download paper)

[MSS95] F. Matthes, G. Schröder, and J.W. Schmidt. Tycoon: A Scalable and Interoperable Persistent System Environment. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. (download paper)

[MSW95] F. Matthes, J.W. Schmidt, and J. Wahlen. Using Extensible Grammars to Support Data Modeling. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. (download paper)

[RMS95] A. Rudloff, F. Matthes, and J.W. Schmidt. Security as an Add-On Quality in Persistent Object Systems. In Second International East/West Database Workshop, Klagenfurt, Austria, Workshops in Computing, pages 90-108. Springer-Verlag, 1995. Also appeared as TR FIDE/95/138, FIDE Technical Report Series, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ. (download paper)

[SchMa92] G. Schröder and F. Matthes. Using the Tycoon Compiler Toolkit. DBIS Tycoon Report 061-92, Fachbereich Informatik, Universität Hamburg, Germany, May 1992. (download paper)

[Stam95] S. Stamer. Position Paper: Workflow Enactment with Tycoon and StP Core. (Unpublished article, available through DBIS, Fachbereich Informatik, Universität Hamburg), June 1995. (download paper)

[WMS95] I. Wetzel, F. Matthes, and J.W. Schmidt. The STYLE Data Modeling Workbench: Systematics of Typed Language Environments. In M.P. Atkinson, editor, Fully Integrated Data Environments. Springer-Verlag (to appear), 1995. Also appeared as TR FIDE/95/139, FIDE Technical Report Series, FIDE Project Coordinator, Department of Computing Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QQ. (download paper)