Using a Class Algebra Ontology To Define Conversions between OWL/SQL/Java Beans

This paper describes the xml definition of class algebra which is available at http://xbean.cs.ccu.edu.tw/~dan/classAlgebra.xml . A sample user-defined ontology document and instance document are available at http://xbean.cs.ccu.edu.tw/~dan/userOntology.xml and http://xbean.cs.ccu.edu.tw/~dan/userInstances.xml . The class algebra ontology is very similar to the OWL ontology, but it uses its own definition of pointers for non-partOf relations. This simplifies the underlying theory as well as the syntax. The same syntax is used to define the ontology (i.e. the schema) as well as instance documents. The class algebra ontology has sufficient information to enable conversion between class algebra instance documents, SQL tables, and Java persistent objects, all of which can be queried by class algebra queries and updated by class algebra assignment operators, RMI calls, or SOAP method calls. The state-space graph of all possible orderings of class algebra operators is searchable by efficient constraint-based search techniques. Operators include guarded class algebra assignments as well as traditional SOAP or RMI method calls.