Natural Language Interfaces to Database (NLIDB): Question handling and unit conversion

Natural Language Interfaces to Database is a type of database interface that allows the user to access the data using natural language. Recent development used as the base of this paper was made by Wibisono in 2013. Wibisono developed a domain-independent NLIDB using Stanford Dependency Parser as a tool in processing user input. This paper presents a solution to two of Wibisono´s NLIDB problems, which are inability to process question-type queries and unit conversion. User input will first be identified, whether it is a question-type query or a directive-type query. Methods from Wibisono´s NLIDB are then modified in order to be able to process question-type query. Unit conversion is done using a library called JScience in two phases of the process, before the SQL is produced (if necessary), and before the data is shown to the user. The proposed system was tested and was able to process some questions that follow a pattern and also to convert data in measurement units and some currency units.