The active database management system manifesto: A rulebase of ADBMS features -- Formal specification of active database functionality: A survey -- Denotational semantics for an active rule execution model -- Activity specification using rendezvous -- Reactive behaviour support: Themes and variations -- Reasoning about the behavior of active databases applications -- Extending a functional DBPL with ECA-rules -- Rule contexts in active databases -- Temporized and localized rule sets -- Design and implementation of an active object-oriented database supporting construction of database tools -- Improved rule analysis by means of triggering and activation graphs -- VITAL: a visual tool for analysis of rules behaviour in active databases -- A visualization and explanation tool for debugging ECA rules in active databases -- Strategies for parallel linear recursive query processing -- Planning complex updates to satisfy constraint rules using a constraint logic search engine -- Constant propagation versus join reordering in Datalog -- Compilation and simplification of temporal integrity constraints -- An active component for a parallel database kernel -- Using delta relations to optimize condition evaluation in active databases -- A designer's benchmark for active database management systems: 007 meets the BEAST -- Realization of cooperative agents using an active object-oriented database management system -- Active databases and agent systems — a comparison -- Recovering active databases.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Rules in Database Systems, RIDS '95, held in Athens, Greece, in September 1995. The book presents 22 revised full papers selected during a very careful reviewing process from a total of 47 submissions. In addition, there is a detailed invited introduction for a panel discussion on the Active Database Management Systems Manifesto. The papers are organized in sections on semantics for database systems, active behavior, rule base organization and modeling, rule analysis, deductive databases, implementation and benchmarking of active database systems, and cooperative systems support.