Invited Papers -- Towards a Next Generation Grid -- The Future of the World Wide Web ? -- Data Streams -- Scheduling Strategies for Processing Continuous Queries over Streams -- Evaluating Complex Queries Against XML Streams with Polynomial Combined Complexity -- Integration and Heterogeneity -- The EGTV Query Language -- XML Data Integration by Graph Restructuring -- AUP: Adaptive Change Propagation Across Data Model Boundaries -- Data Analytics/Manipulations -- Database Support for Path Query Functions -- Agent-Based Data Mining Approach for the Prediction of UK and Irish Companies Performance -- Reducing Damage Assessment Latency in Survivable Databases -- XML -- Efficient Processing of Multiple Structural Join Queries -- Handling Updates for Cache-Answerability of XML Queries on the Web -- Constraining XML Transformations for Personalised Information Presentation -- DbSurfer: A Search and Navigation Tool for Relational Databases -- Interface/Visualization -- Ontology-Driven Automated Generation of Data Entry Interfaces to Databases -- Incremental Observer Relative Data Extraction -- Performing Colour-Based Similarity Searches in Multimedia Database Management Systems Augmented with Derived Images -- Spatial Data -- Bulk Loading the M-Tree to Enhance Query Performance -- A Fast Filter for Obstructed Nearest Neighbor Queries -- Language Bindings for Spatio-Temporal Database Programming in Tripod -- TLADWorkshop -- Gauging Students’ Understanding Through Interactive Lectures -- Teaching SQL — Which Pedagogical Horse for This Course? -- Computer-Based Assessment Strategies in the Teaching of Databases at Honours Degree Level 1.

This year marked the coming of age of the British National Conference on Databases with its 21st conference held at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, in July 2004. To mark the occasion the general theme of the conference was “When Data Is Key”, reflecting not only the traditional key awarded on a 21st birthday, but also the ev- growing importance of electronic data management in every aspect of our modern lives. The conference was run as part of DAMMS (Data Analysis, Manipulation, Management and Storage) Week, which included a number of co-located and complementary conferences and workshops, including the 2nd Workshop on Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Databases (TLAD2), the BNCOD BioInformatics Workshop, and the 1st International Conference on the Future of Consumer Insight Developments in Retail Banking. The aim of this co-location was to develop synergies between the teaching, research and commercial communities involved in all aspects of database activities, and to use BNCOD as a focus for future synergies and developments within these communities. Although this is entitled the British National Conference on Databases, BNCOD has always had an international focus, and this year more than most, with the majority of the papers submitted and accepted coming from outwith the UK.