This volume is intended for researchers, practitioners, and members of the business community interested in the shape of data management in the years to come. The volume is both retrospective and future oriented and the chapters recapitulate current 1980s database research and applications. The chapters analyze future development, and focus on medium and long-term prospects in this dynamic domain of activity. The chapters seek to capture the ongoing changes in the shape of database management systems, discuss the role of databases as components of larger systems, identify new areas where database technology is being applied, and examine new data models that will underlie future attempts to manage data.