A Quantitative Analysis of the Utilization of Associative Memories in Data Management

An associative approach to data management is developed, and a methodology for measuring the performance and effectiveness of this approach is provided. Mathematical models which quantitatively describe retrieval, storage requirements, updating, and flexibility are developed for both a class of current sequential systems and an associative system. Utilizing these models, a comparison is made between the two systems under certain assumptions so that for given classes of data management problems, one can determine which system is more favorable.