Conceptual Object-Oriented Database: A Theoretical Model

The evolution of object-oriented databases (OODBs) has not been accompanied by an equivalent evolution of theoretical models, leaving the foundations for OODBs ill-defined. Design of OODBs has been hampered by the lack of design techniques/tools which correspond to the theoretical model. This paper defines a core conceptual object oriented database (COODB) model providing a foundation and framework for theoretical research. Structural and behavioral definitions for an object, a class, and a class hierarchy are given. A specification hierarchy is introduced as a design tool, and a mess-aging component is defined which enables asynchronous and synchronous interaction .