OBJECT ORIENTED

DBMS
by
Dr. Abdus Salam

INTRODUCTION TO
OODBMS
Lecture No. 1

Outline
Why OO Databases?
Current state of relational and Object-Relational

Databases
Features of Objected Oriented Databases
Some Leading OODBMSs
Commercial
Academic

Research Issues in OODBMSs

References
T. Connoly & C. Begg, Database Systems, 4th Ed
Chapter 25, 26, 27, 28
Jeffrey A. Hoffer, V. Ramesh, Heikki Topi,

Modern Database Management Systems, 10th Ed.

Chapter 13, 14

Course of the Course

The need of OO databases
Basics of Databases as a revision
Relational Databases
Object oriented concepts
Data Models (Logical Model)
Relational
Hierarchical
Object Oriented (Many different models)
Object-Relational
Graph Databases
Object-Oriented Database Management Systems
Features of OODBMSs
Different OODBMSs
Research Issues in OO DB

Why OODBMSs
Connoly Chapter 25
Two Reasons
Requirements of Advanced DB Applications
Limitations of Relational Data Model

Why OODBMSs
Requirements of Advanced DB Applications
computer-aided design (CAD);
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM);
computer-aided software engineering (CASE);
network management systems;
office information systems (OIS) and multimedia systems;
digital publishing;
geographic information systems (GIS);
interactive and dynamic Web sites.

Computer-aided design (CAD)

A CAD database stores data relating to mechanical and electrical

design covering, for example, buildings, aircraft, and integrated circuit

chips. Designs of this type have some common characteristics:
Design data is characterized by a large number of types, each with a
small number of instances. Designs may be very large, perhaps
consisting of millions of parts, often with many interdependent
subsystem designs.
Updates: One change is likely to affect a large number of design
objects.
Often, many design alternatives are being considered for each
component, and the correct version for each part must be maintained.
This involves some form of version control and configuration
management.
There may be hundreds of staff involved with the design, and they
may work in parallel on multiple versions of a large design. Even so,
the end-product must be consistent and coordinated. This is

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

A CAM database stores similar data to a CAD system, in

addition to data relating to

discrete production (such as cars on an assembly line)
and continuous production (such as chemical synthesis).

Computer-aided software engineering (CASE)

A CASE database stores data relating to the stages of the

software development lifecycle:

planning, requirements collection and analysis, design,
implementation, testing, maintenance, and
documentation.

Office information systems (OIS) and multimedia

systems
An OIS database stores data relating to the computer

control of information in a business, including electronic

mail, documents, invoices, and so on.
To provide better support for this area, we need to handle
a wider range of data types other than names, addresses,
dates, and money.
Modern systems now handle free-form text, photographs,
diagrams, and audio and video sequences.

Digital publishing
The publishing industry is likely to undergo profound

changes in business practices over the next decade.

It is becoming possible to store books, journals, papers,
and articles electronically and deliver them over highspeed networks to consumers.

Geographic information systems (GIS)

A GIS database stores various types of spatial and

temporal information, such as that used in land

management and underwater exploration.
Much of the data in these systems is derived from survey
and satellite photographs, and tends to be very large.
Searches may involve identifying features based, for
example, on shape, color, or texture, using advanced
pattern-recognition techniques.

Interactive and dynamic Web sites

Consider a Web site that has an online catalog for selling clothes. The

Web site maintains a set of preferences for previous visitors to the site and
allows a visitor to:
browse through thumbnail images of the items in the catalog and select
one to obtain a full-size image with supporting details;
search for items that match a user-defined set of criteria;
obtain a 3D rendering of any item of clothing based on a customized
specification (for example, color, size, fabric)
modify the rendering to account for movement, illumination, backdrop,
occasion, and so on;
select accessories to go with the outfit, from items presented in a sidebar;
select a voiceover commentary giving additional details of the item;
view a running total of the bill, with appropriate discounts;
conclude the purchase through a secure online transaction.

WEAKNESSES OF
RDBMSS

Why OODBMSs
Connoly Chapter 25
Two Reasons
Requirements of Advanced DB Applications
Limitations of Relational Data Model

History of Data Models

File based Systems
Program and Data Dependence
No Data Sharing
Mid 60s IMS Developed
Arranges data in hierarchical form, in a tree like structure

Same time Network Data Model was proposed

IDMS was the NDM based DBMS
CODASYL got involved and DBTG was established

Network Data Model

In NDM, the database consists of a collection of set-type

occurrences
Each set-type occurrence has one occurrence of OWNER
RECORD, with zero or more occurrences of MEMBER
RECORDS.
To define a network database one needs to define:
The database record types which consist of data items.
The set-types

Uses network or plex structure as its basic data structure

Node corresponds to records types and link to the

pointers.

Problems in Hierarchical and NDM

Very complex structure from the application programmers

point of view
Difficult to design and use properly, because of the
navigational nature of the data structure
Difficult to make changes in database
No structural independence
No theoretical foundation

Relational Data Model

Proposed by E. F. Codd in 1970
Major Strength
Mathematical foundation
Higher degree of data independence
Expended set-oriented manipulation language (Relational Algebra)

Relational Data Model

Components of RDM:
Structure (Relation/Table)
Manipulation Language (SQL)
Integrity Constraints
Referential Integrity Constraint

First two components have direct support from relational

mathematics

Six Basic Properties of Relational DB Tables or

Relations
Each cell of table contains atomic value
Each column has a distinct name; the name of the

attribute it represents
The values of the attributes come from the same domain
The order of the columns is immaterial
The order of rows is immaterial
Each row/tuple/record is distinct, no two rows can be the
same

Weaknesses of RDM
Poor representation of real world entities
Semantic overloading; Semantically weak; just one structure
Poor support for integrity and enterprise constraints
Homogeneous data structure
Limited operations
Difficulty handling recursive queries
Impedance mismatch
Other problems with RDBMSs associated with concurrency,

schema changes, and poor navigational access

Table cell can store only atomic values
Normalized design recommended
ER Data Model (1976) to cater conceptual model