English

Red Spider Meets a Rainworm: Conjunctive Query Finite Determinacy Is Undecidable

Databases 2015-12-08 v1

Abstract

We solve a well known and long-standing open problem in database theory, proving that Conjunctive Query Finite Determinacy Problem is undecidable. The technique we use builds on the top of our Red Spider method which we developed in our paper [GM15] to show undecidability of the same problem in the "unrestricted case" -- when database instances are allowed to be infinite. We also show a specific instance Q0Q_0, Q={Q1,Q2,Qk}{\cal Q}= \{Q_1, Q_2, \ldots Q_k\} such that the set Q\cal Q of CQs does not determine CQ Q0Q_0 but finitely determines it. Finally, we claim that while Q0Q_0 is finitely determined by Q\cal Q, there is no FO-rewriting of Q0Q_0, with respect to Q\cal Q, and we outline a proof of this claim

Cite

@article{arxiv.1512.01681,
  title  = {Red Spider Meets a Rainworm: Conjunctive Query Finite Determinacy Is Undecidable},
  author = {Tomasz Gogacz and Jerzy Marcinkowski},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.01681},
  year   = {2015}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-22T12:02:17.039Z