Functorial aggregation

David I. Spivak*, Richard Garner, Aaron David Fairbanks

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We study polynomial comonads and polynomial bicomodules. Polynomial comonads amount to categories. Polynomial bicomodules between categories amount to parametric right adjoint functors between corresponding copresheaf categories. These may themselves be understood as generalized polynomial functors. They are also called data migration functors because of applications in categorical database theory. We investigate several universal constructions in the framed bicategory of categories, retrofunctors, and parametric right adjoints. We then use the theory we develop to model database aggregation alongside querying, all within this rich ecosystem.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107883
Pages (from-to)1-73
Number of pages73
JournalJournal of Pure and Applied Algebra
Volume229
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025

Keywords

  • Aggregation
  • Bicomodules
  • Categories
  • Comonads
  • Parametric right adjoints
  • Polynomial functors
  • Retrofunctors

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