Distributed and parallel database technology is one of the more important developments of recent times and it has been the subject of intense research and development effort. The critical stage has now been reached: the transition to commercial products. Distributed and/or parallel data managers will replace their centralised cousins within the next decade. The maturation of the field together with the new issues that are raised by the changes in the underlying technology require a central focus for work in the area. Distributed and Parallel Databases provides such a focus for the presentation and dissemination of new research results systems development efforts and user experiences in distributed and parallel database systems. Distributed and Parallel Databases publishes papers in all the traditional areas of database research including: Transaction models Processing and Management Query Processing Data Fragmentation Placement and Allocation Replication Protocols Reliability and Fault Tolerance But new issues are arising as a result of the new technology. In the context of distributed and parallel systems these include: Alternative Software and Hardware Architectures Related to Data Management Interoperability in Multidatabase Systems Managing Heterogeneity and Autonomy in Distributed Systems Managing Interdependent Data Knowledge Bases Object-Oriented Database Issues Operating Systems Support for Database Systems Database Machines Supporting Group/Collaborative Work Support for Non-Traditional Applications Semantic Heterogeneity The Use of Distributed and Parallel Database Technology in Managing Biological Geographic Spatial Scientific and Statistical Data System Support and Interface Issues for Data Management (Operating Systems Communication Systems and Run-Time Support).