Inside the Database Object Model (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Database management systems have come a long way from the primitive file management systems of the 1960s..." (more)
Key Phrases: customer cout, int ordnum, repeating data items, Object Management Group, Common Object Request Broker Architecture, Data Manipulation Language (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Databases and database system design are in the midst of a major transition to object-oriented databases. Moving from relational database architecture to an object-oriented technology is the next logical step in database design.With the properties of encapsulation, abstraction, and polymorphism, object technology systems are moving toward a unified data model that reflects the real world far more effectively than previous modeling techniques. Object-oriented development emphasizes the benefits of modular and reusable computer code as well as the benefits of modeling real-world objects. A properly designed object-oriented model also promises to be maintenance-free - all changes to data attributes and behaviors become a database task, not a programming task. Furthermore, object-oriented databases will store data, the relationships between data, and the behavior of data. Once data behaviors are added into a database management system, these "intelligent" databases will dramatically change the development of database systems.Inside the Database Object Model shows how objects are added to commerical database systems, outlining why object-oriented development is best suited for dynamic, interactive environments. The book reflects the revolutionary change in database architecture, providing plenty of usable code and other illustrative material. The book explores how object technology is being incorporated into database management systems.Although virtually every major database vendor adds objects to their database engines, their approaches vastly differ. Inside the Database Object Model:oExplores the history and architecture of database system and the evolution of object technologyoExamines the differences between relational database approach and the approach to object technologyoDescribes how major vendors approach basic object constructs, including encapsulation, abstract data types, polymorphisms, and aggregate objectsoDescribes how inheritance can be used with database objectsoOutlines how to couple data with behavior using modelsoDemonstrates how C++ applications store data in a relational databaseoIdentifies how Oracle, the world's leading relational database, extends SQL to exist with objectsoEnables readers to design and implement real-world objects using object/relational technologyMajor database vendors, such as Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and IBM, are rapidly moving into object-oriented database design. This book helps you through the transition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: CRC; 1 edition (June 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849318076
• ISBN-13: 978-0849318078
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,712,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent text, July 26, 1998

By A Customer

This is by far the best book that I have seen on the details of how objects are used in relational databases. The text is well-written and easy to understand, and it greatly assisted me in understanding objects. Overall, an excellent book

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fails to convince, November 5, 2003

By	QuinnC (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This book reads like a sales pitch, but whatever advantages OODBs have are not made any clearer in this book.

The book admits early on that an OODB is more brittle than a RDB, and then states that the advantage is that you can now "associate behavior" with objects in the database, but this has been possible with RDBs for awhile (admittedly not in any portable fashion). This is typical for the book. As is confusion between implementation and the underlying model. Additionally, explanations of concepts like "object" and "method" (and other terms) are rather fuzzy.

The book tries to create the appearance of balance, but it is so obviously trying to push objects that the clarity of thought and presentation suffer. In my view objects are obviously useful, but the theory for them is not worked out yet. Until then, they can fit neatly within a relational framework. Bluntly: a new database model is not required, just better implementations.

Verdict: Not Sold. Neither the argument, nor the book (I skimmed it at the local shop and saved myself the expense).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of database object models, October 24, 2000

By A Customer

I have been looking for some time for a text that explains all of the nuances of OO and how it applies to databases.

This book does a wonderful job in explaining how objects work with RDBMS, and it really helped me to understand the concepts of polymorphism.

I also enjoyed the section on impedance mismatches.