Knowledge Discovery from Client-Server Databases

The subject of this paper is the implementation of knowledge discovery in databases. Speciically, we assess the requirements for interfacing tools to client-server database systems in view of the architecture of those systems and of \knowledge discovery processes". We introduce the concept of a query frontier of an exploratory process, and propose a strategy based on optimizing the current query frontier rather than individual knowledge discovery algorithms. This approach has the advantage of enhanced genericity and interoperability. We demonstrate a small set of query primitives, and show how one example tool, the well-known decision tree induction algorithm C4.5, can be rewritten to function in this environment.