Blog Post 5: Object-Oriented Databases

Object-oriented databases differ from relational databases in which information is shown in the form of objects. The benefit of using object-oriented database management systems (OODBMS) is that they allow you to create an object, store it, and then replicate or modify existing objects to make new ones. The object is represented the same way between the programming language and the OOBMS so that there is consistency. This is different from relational database management systems (RDBMS) where the database model is separated from the application of the database. 

  

OODBMS store data and relationships between data directly, instead of sorting through rows and columns like a RDBMS. RDBMS require intermediate tables to maintain relationships between data. Both intermediate tables and relational mapping code are not required while using OODBMS unless you are incorporating new features. This obviously saves a lot of time while developing the database. 

  

RDBMS are far more popular and more widely used compared to OODBMS which have been implemented into RDBMS via object-oriented features. It also used to be very costly to make the change from RDBMS to OODBMS even if companies saw the benefits. However, open source implementation has become popular in recent years and has now allowed for low-cost solutions to become available and more common.

Sources

1. https://database.guide/what-is-an-oodbms/ 

2. http://www.odbms.org/introduction-to-odbms/definition/ 

Comments

1. Aaron Goldberg

This is a very interesting theory that I am not familiar with. Do you know when HP integrated this theory into their products or when they expect to complete it? If the performance increases are as dramatic as they say, I look forward to the new ways that the much more powerful computers will be utilized.

2. Alkiviadis Tsitsios

I like that those of us who strictly researched databases are able to understand the benefits that they have in the construction industry. I am not familiar with the Database Manager Program and it sounds like a useful software that construction firms can integrate into their projects. It is impressive to hear that you are able to use as many attributes as you need within your database.

3. Nana Lin Rasmussen

This is a good summary of SQL and databases. I like that you list off common RDBMS that utilize SQL because it shows how common the language is. The advantages of SQL are interesting, specifically, that coding is not required in SQL.