Features of Languages for the Development of Information Systems at the Conceptual Level

A computer system which stores, retrieves and manipulates information about some portion of the real world can be viewed as a model of that domain of discourse. There has been considerable research recently on languages which allow one to capture more of the semantics of the real world in these computerized Information Systems — research which has variously been labelled as Semantic Data Modeling, Semantic Modeling or Conceptual Modeling. This review paper presents a list of the features which appear to distinguish these languages from those traditionally used to describe and develop database-intensive applications, and considers the motivation for these features as well as the potential advantages to be gained through their use. The paper, which is intended for those familiar with current data processing practices, also compares in greater detail four programming languages which incorporate semantic modeling facilities, and discusses some of the methodologies and tools for Information System development based on these languages.