WWW-database integration via mobile agents

This thesis studies the integration of two current topics in the Database Research and Development; namely, WWW-Databases and Mobile Agents. This thesis uses the Web as a medium and agents to locate and deliver information by exploring how to exploit multi-agent system in a heterogeneous database system. By using metadata, Mobile Agents can effectively provide users access to multiple data sources on the Web. The goal is develop techniques so component databases can be added or removed dynamically thereby creating a flexible system model. Another contribution of this research is that the data transported by the agents are presented in the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format, a markup language that has been widely used as metadata standard. XML is a good choice because it not only support enriched document structures but it also formats data results to support Business To Business (B2B) data exchange. By combining mature existing technologies with new technologies this architecture can support legacy systems while deploying the next generation of software. The key question to be addressed by this thesis is: How can mobile agents facilitate data exchange between various data sources while protecting the sources autonomy and providing the user with a globally consistent date view?; This is done while ensuring that: (1) The addition and removal of component databases is done dynamically and (2) Data exchanged on the WWW occurs while supporting existing applications.