A cooperative database is a type of
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...
that holds information about customers and their transaction histories. Many companies will contribute information to a database in return for aggregate information on the customers other companies have provided. Such databases are used for promotional mailings,
credit card fraud
Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The P ...
detection, digital media targeting, business intelligence, and fighting
E-mail spam
Email spam, also referred to as junk email, spam mail, or simply spam, refers to unsolicited messages sent in bulk via email. The term originates from a Monty Python sketch, where the name of a canned meat product, "Spam," is used repetitively, m ...
.
Alternatively, the term "cooperative database" can be used to describe database systems that incorporate techniques to aid users beyond returning direct answers.
[Wesley W. Chu: Cooperative Database Systems. Wiley Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering, 2008.] Such databases can, for example, give explanations as to why a query returns no or few results, detect and report some user misconception suggested by the query, provide justifications for returned answers, or relax query attributes to find "close" but non-precise answers. The fundamental goal is to extend databases towards reflecting the
cooperative principle
In social science generally and linguistics specifically, the cooperative principle describes how people achieve effective conversational communication in common social situations—that is, how listeners and speakers act cooperatively and mutual ...
, and in particular, to avoid misleading users by omission of pertinent, contextual detail.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooperative Database
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Types of databases