Cooperative database

A cooperative database is a type of database that holds information on customers and their transactions. 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 detection and fighting E-mail spam.

Alternatively, the term "cooperative database" can be used to describe database systems that incorporate techniques to aid users beyond returning direct answers.^[1] 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, and in particular, to avoid misleading users by omission of pertinent, contextual detail.

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