Blog Post 5 - Object Oriented Databases

Yosep Bak

2/14/2017

Blog Post 5 - Object Oriented Databases

With great technology comes great need for data storage. Object oriented database is a powerful data processing system developed in mid-1980s as an alternative method to relational database. Object oriented database stores data by creating an object and allow the object to directly interact with another object through directional relations. According to a renounced computer scientist and the author of “The Object Oriented Database Management System Manifesto”  In order for a database management system to be deemed as an object oriented database system, it must possess the following characteristics:  Complex objects, object identity, encapsulation, types of classes, inheritance, overriding combined with late binding, extensible, computational completeness, persistence, secondary storage management, concurrency, recovery, and an ad hoc query facility. Technical definitions can be found within the cited reference, but these characteristics are significant because they allow ease manipulation of data, faster storage and retrieval time, and more efficient usage of hardware. However, object oriented database still has yet to be fully defined because even the author of the aforementioned manifesto has not come to a full consensus regarding certain aspects including their views on integrity constraint, schema evolution facility, data administration utilities and definition and derived data view.  Although seem flawless, object oriented database lacks backward compatibility and must be used in the version it was written on. Also, Industrial standard is on its way of becoming more object oriented, some parts of the industry still utilize relational data method.

Figure 1

Figure above shows the differences between the file system, relational database, and object oriented database. This chart indicates that the objected oriented method is capable of doing what file system and relational database can do, but with complex data. Complex data consisting of one or more elements in the system transcribes and organizes data to allow processing to be completed in both macro and micro levels. Object oriented database utilizes the complex data’s ability to manipulate its contents to display and update different elements.

Comments:

 Yang: I have used the similar database system you've mentioned at the last co-op. Although I was not the one manipulating the actual database, I was able to pull out how many cubic yards of concrete we've spent on which pour at any given moment.  I am certain that this was very efficient in reducing miscommunication between engineers. 

 Mridul Pareek: MYSQL was briefly taught in info 210 class to show how to manage a database and I am glad to know that MYSQL is actually being practiced in real life. Also, I have not linked Revit's library to database system, but I guess that makes sense too.

Brennan Connolly: I've seen your youtube reference being complimented all over the comments section and I am a part as well. That really helped me create a visual understanding of a topic that can be somewhat obscure. 

Reference:

 D. Maier, A. Otis, and A. Purdy, "Object-Oriented Database Development at Servio Logic," Database Engineering, vol. 18, no.4, December 1985.

Malcolm Atkinson. “The object-oriented database system manifesto”. In Building an object-oriented database system, , 1992