Abstract
We propose in this paper a novel approach for explaining query non-answers in Natural Language within the context of Natural Language Interfaces to Databases (NLIDBs). Such interfaces allow non-expert users to pose queries over an underlying database; our goal is to further allow users to ask why some results that they have expected to see, are missing from the output. In a nutshell, our approach is to “marry" NLIDBs with an existing model for explaining missing query results by pinpointing the last query operator that is “responsible" for the missing result. We observe that one can often trace the parts of the original NL question that correspond to these operators. This paves the way for intuitive explanations of the non-answers, that are based on highlighting the relevant parts of the question. Our architecture is generic and is not coupled with a specific NLIDB, and our solution yields clear explanations in interactive speed.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Advances in Database Technology - EDBT 2020 |
| Subtitle of host publication | 23rd International Conference on Extending Database Technology, Proceedings |
| Editors | Angela Bonifati, Yongluan Zhou, Marcos Antonio Vaz Salles, Alexander Bohm, Dan Olteanu, George Fletcher, Arijit Khan, Bin Yang |
| Publisher | OpenProceedings.org |
| Pages | 427-430 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783893180837 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 23rd International Conference on Extending Database Technology, EDBT 2020 - Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 30 Mar 2020 → 2 Apr 2020 |
Publication series
| Name | Advances in Database Technology - EDBT |
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| Volume | 2020-March |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2367-2005 |
Conference
| Conference | 23rd International Conference on Extending Database Technology, EDBT 2020 |
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| Country/Territory | Denmark |
| City | Copenhagen |
| Period | 30/03/20 → 2/04/20 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Published in Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Extending Database Technology (EDBT), March 30-April 2, 2020, ISBN 978-3-89318-083-7 on OpenProceedings.org. Distribution of this paper is permitted under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC-by-nc-nd 4.0.