Component Database Systems is a collection of papers from the researchers making the most influential contributions to this effort. Though these readings tend towards the theoretical, almost all represent the very practical directions taken by leading database vendors to establish a commercially viable componentization strategy. This book therefore has great appeal for practitioners with a stake in the near-future of the evolution of the database industry -- both technically savvy IT managers and product developers whose responsibilities require that they look ahead to technology likely to become widely available over the next two or three years.