Ad Hoc Database 2018
Ad Hoc Approach to Data Analysis, June 19, 2018
An ad hoc database is a collection of tables with unknown relationships gathered to serve a specific, often transient, often urgent, purpose.
Examples of Ad Hoc Databases
- A researcher assembles an ad hoc database of recent experimental results to prepare a paper or proposal.
- Emergency workers responding to a natural disaster assemble an ad hoc data-base from lists of addresses of nearby schools, locations of resources (e.g., ambulances), and contact information for emergency workers.
- A consulting business analyst assembles an ad hoc database from a set of spreadsheets provided by management for a short term engagement.
- Choosing the right tool for the right task.
- A security analyst assembles an ad hoc database from a set of application trace logs after an attack
Source: Automatic Example Queries for Ad Hoc Databases by Bill Howe, Garret Cole, Nodira Khoussainova, Leilani Battle