When is A = B?

Most database operations such as sorting, grouping and computing joins are based on comparisons between two values. Traditional algorithms assume that machines do not make mistakes. This assumption holds in traditional computing environments; however, it does not hold in several new emerging computing environments. In this write-up, we argue the need for new resilient algorithms that take into account that the result of a comparison might be wrong. The goal is to design algorithms that have low cost (make few comparisons) yet produce high-quality results in the presence of errors.