A new formalism for relational algebra (Q1186599)

We present a new formalism for relational algebra, the FC language, which is based on a novel factorization of relations. The acronym stands for factorize and combine. A pure version of this language is equivalent to relational algebra in the sense that semantics preserving translations exist in both directions [\textit{K. S. Larsen}, Equivalence of FC and relational algebra (in preparation)]. Advantages of the new proposal include more concise and elegant expressions for many queries, new possibilities for query analysis, and the ability to include arithmetic and aggregate functions in a natural way. The FC language is based on one operator, factor, which takes any number of relations as arguments and returns a single relation as result. It is related to the group --- by operator, though more general.