Title: DATABASE SYSTEMS - 10p Course No. 2AD235 Spring 2002
1DATABASE SYSTEMS - 10pCourse No. 2AD235 Spring
2002
- A second course on development of database
systems - Kjell OrsbornUppsala Database
LaboratoryDepartment of Information Technology,
Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
2Introduction to Object-Oriented and
Object-Relational Databases
- Kjell Orsborn Uppsala Database
Laboratory,Department of Information Technology,
Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
3Talk Outline
- Some General DBMS Concepts
- limitations of traditional DBMSs
- History of DBMSs
- Object-Oriented Databases
- Object-Relational Databases
- Differences
- Standards
4Database Design
- Database Design
- How to translate subset of reality into data
representations in the database. - Schema
- A description of properties of data in a database
(i.e. a meta-database) - Data Model
- A set of building blocks (data abstractions) to
represent reality.Each DBMS supports one Data
Model.The most common one is the Relational Data
Model where data is represented in
tables.NOTICE E.g. CAD people use the word
Data Model instead of Schema - Conceptual Data Model
- A very high level and user-oriented data model
(often graphical).CDM not necessarily
representable in DBMS or computer!Most common
CDM is Entity-Relationship (ER) data model.But
also Extended ER models are common - Conceptual Schema Design
- Produce a DBMS independent Conceptual Schema in
the Conceptual Data Model
5Extended Entity-Relationship Diagram
6Logical Database Design
- Logical Database Design
- How to translate Conceptual Schemas in the
conceptual data model (e.g. ER-schemas)to a
Conceptual Schema in the DBMS data model (e.g
relational tables) - Logical Database Design for the Relational Data
Model includes - Key Identification What attributes are used to
identify rows in a table? - Normalization Table decomposition to solve
update problems, normal forms - PROBLEM Semantics may disappear or be blurred
when data is translated to less expressive data
model and normalized
7Physical Database Design
- Physical Database Design
- Physical representation of the database schema
optimized with respect to the access patterns of
critical applications. - Indexes
- permit fast matching of records in table
satisfying certain search conditions. - The index structures are closely related to the
internal physical representations of the DBMS. - Indexes can speed up execution considerably, as
well as storing data usually accessed together in
the same table. - Indexes permit the database to scale, i.e. the
access times grow much slower than the database
size. - PROBLEM New applications may require data and
index structures that are not supported by the
DBMS. (e.g. calendars, numerical data,
geographical data, data exchange formats, etc.)
8The ANSI/SPARC three-schema Architecture
- Achieves Data Independence
9Data Independence
- External View
- Mapping Conceptual Schema --gt subset of the
database for a particular (group of) users. - Data Independence
- The capability to change the database schema
without having to change applications.NOTE Data
Independence is very important since databases
continuously change! - Logical Data Independence
- The capability to change conceptual schema
without having to change applications and
interfaces to views.E.g. create a new table,
add a column to a table, or split a table into
two tables - Physical Data Independence
- The capability to change the physical schema
without having to change applications and logical
schema (E.g. add/drop indexes, change data
formats, etc.) - PROBLEM Application programs still often have
data dependencies, e.g. to map relational
database tables to application object structures.
10Database Manipulation
- Query Language
- Originally a QL could only specify more or less
complex database searches.Now the query language
(SQL) is a general language for interactions with
the database. - Typical query language operations are
- Searching for records fulfilling certain
selection conditions - Iterating over entire tables applying update
operations - Schema definition and evolution operators
- Object-Oriented Databases have other operations
such as create and delete objects - The user directly or indirectly calls SQL in the
following ways - By running an interpreter that interactively
executes SQL commands - By running an application program that contains
calls to Embedded SQL - By running a graphical Database Browser to
navigate through the database. (The browser
internally calls embedded SQL) - PROBLEM Would like to be able to customize and
extend query language for different application
areas.
11Views
- View
- A view is a mapping from the Conceptual Schema to
a subset of the database as seen by aparticular
(group of) users. - SQL is a closed query language that maps tables
into tables gt SQL allows very general views
(derived tables) to be defined as single queries - Views provide
- External schema
- Each user is given a set of views that map to
relevant parts of the database - Logical data independence
- When schema is modified views mapping new to old
schema can be defined - Encapsulation
- Views hide details of physical table structure
- Authorization
- The DBA can assign different authorization
privileges to views ofdifferent users - NOTICE Views provide logical data independence.
12Evolution of Database Technology
13New DBMS Applications (for OODBMSs)
- Classical DBMS
- Administrative applications, e.g. Banking (ATMs)
- Properties
- Very large structured data volumes
- Very many small Transactions On-line (High
transaction rates) - Occasional batch programs
- High Security/Consistency
- New Needs for Engineering, Scientific databases,
etc. - Extensibility (on all levels)
- Better performance
- Expressability (e.g. Object-Orientation needed)
- Tight PL Interfaces
- Long transactions (work in sand box)
14New DBMS Applications (cont. ...)
- Problem areas
- CASE Computer Aided Software Engineering
- CAD Computer Aided Design
- CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing
- OIS Office Information Systems
- Multi-media databases
- Scientific Applications
- Hypertext databases (WWW)
15Object-Oriented Databases
- Problems with using RDBMSs for OO applications
- Complex mapping from OO conceptual model to
relations - Complex mapping gt complex programs and queries
- Complex programs gt maintenance problems
- Complex programs gt reliability problems
- Complex queries gt database query optimizer may
be very slow - Application vulnerable to schema changes
- Performance
16Object-Oriented Databases
- First generation ODBs
- Extend OO programming language with DBMS
primitives - E.g. C, SmallTalk, Java
- Allow persistent data structures in C programs
- Navigate through database using C primitives
(as CODASYL) - An object store for C, SmallTalk, Java, etc.
- Several products out, e.g.
- Objectivity, Versant, ObjectStore, Gemstone, Poet
, PJama, O2
17Object-Oriented Databases
- Pros and consLong transactions with
checkin/checkout model (sand box)Always same
language (C)High efficiency (but only for
checked-out data)- Primitive query languages
(now OQL standard proposed)- No methods in
database (all code executes in client, no stored
procedures)- Rudimentary data independence (no
views)- Limited concurrency- Unsafe, database
may crash- Slow for many small transactions
(e.g. ATM applications)- May require extensive
C or Java knowledge
18Object-Oriented Databases
- Persistence
- Integrated with programming language
- E.g. C with persistent objectsclass PERSON
... ....PERSON P // Local within block...
static PERSON p // Local for
executionpersistent PERSON p // Exists between
program executions - Pointer swizzling
- Automatic conversion from disk addresses to MM
addresses - References to data structures on disk (OIDs) look
like regular C pointers! - Navigational access style.
- Fast when database cached in main-memory of
client! - Preprocessed by OODBMS for convenient extension
of C
19Object-Relational Databases
- Object-Relational DBMSs
- Idea
- Extend on RDBMS functionality
- Customized (abstract) data types
- Customized index structures
- Customized query optimizers
- Use declarative query languages, SQL extension
(SQL99) - Extensible DBMS
- Object-orientation for abstract data types
- Data blades (data cartridges, data extenders) are
database server plug-ins that provide - User definable index structures
- Cost hints and re-write rules for the query
optimizer
20Object-Relational Databases
- Pros and consMigration path to SQLViews,
logical data independence possibleProgramming
language independenceFull DBMS
functionalityStored procedures, triggers,
constraintsHigh transaction performance by
avoiding data shippingEasy to use declarative
queries- Overkill for application needing just a
C object store- Performance may suffer
compared to OODBs for applications needing just
an object store- May be very difficult to extend
index structures and query optimizers - Research prototypes Iris (HP), Postgres
(Berkeley), Starburst (IBM) - Products Informix, OpenODB (Odapter), DB2NOTE
On-going evolution of 1st gen. products to become
more Object-Relational
21Object-Oriented Databases
- Literature
- M.Stonebraker Object-relational DBMSs - The next
great wave, Morgan-Kaufmann 1996 - Object-Oriented Manifestos
- First generation ODB Manifesto State-of-the-art
OODBs anno 1990 - Atkinsson et al The OO Database System Manifesto
in W.Kim, J-M. Nicolas, S.Nishio (eds) 1st Intl.
Conf. on Deductive and OO DatabasesEarly O2 - Object-relational DB Manifesto Requirements for
next generation DBMSs anno 1990 - Stonebraker et. al. Third-generation Data Base
System ManifestoSIGMOD Record, Vol. 20, No. 4,
Dec.1991.
22Object-Oriented Databases
- The Manifestos
- Object identity
- E.g. for structure sharingUnique OIDs
maintained by DBMSE.g. Parent(tore) ulla,
Parent(kalle)ulla - Complex objects
- Not only tables, numbers, strings but sets,
bags, lists, and arrays, i.e. non-1NF relations - E.g. Courses(tore) c1,c2,c3
- Encapsulation
- SimplicityModularitySecurity
23Object-Oriented Databases (manifesto cont. ...)
- Extensibility
- User-defined data types and operations on these
new datatypes - e.g. datatypes create type Person, create type
Timepoint - e.g. operations. name(tore), t2 - t1, t2 gt
t1, etc. - Both OO and OR allow abstract datatypes through
object-orientation - Extensions of physical representations (including
indexes) and corresponding operations - OO/OR databases allow extensions of physical
representations - OR databases allow definition of new indexes
- Extensions of query processor with optimization
algorithms and cost models - OR databases allow extensions of query
processing - Class Hierarchies as modelling tool (both OO/OR)
- Classification
- e.g. Student subtype of Person
- Shared properties
- Specialization
- Student subtype of Person with extra attributes
University, Classes,
24Object-Oriented Databases (manifesto cont. ...)
- Computational completeness
- OR databases Turing complete query language
SQL99 code executes on server - OO databases C/Java code with embedded OQL
statements executes in client (web server) - Persistence
- OO databases transparent access to persistent
object by swizzling - OR databases embedded queries to access
persistent objects - Secondary storage management
- OR databases indexes can be implemented by user
(difficult!) - Concurrency
- OO databases good support for long transactions
- OR database good support for short transactions
- Ad hoc query facility
- OO Databases weak
- OR Databases very strong
25Object-Oriented Databases (manifesto cont. ...)
- Data independence
- OO Databases weak
- OR Databases strong
- Views
- Important for data independence
- Query language required
- Only in OR databases!
- Schema evolution
- Relational DBs have it!
- Fully supported in OR databases, primitive in OO
databases
26Object Database Standards
- Object-Oriented DBMS Standard
- The ODMG standard proposal
- R. Cattell, Ed. The ODMG-93 Standard for Object
Databases, Morgan-Kaufmann Publishers, San Mateo,
California, 1993. - Includes an Object Data Model
- Object Query Language OQL (different model than
SQL99) - Object-Relational DBMS Standards
- The SQL99 (SQL3) standard proposal
- ISO-Final Draft International Standard (FDIS)
ISO/IEC FDIS 9075-2 Database Language SQL - Very large (gt1000 pages)
- SQL-92 is subset
- Much more than object-orientation included
- Triggers, procedural language, OO, error
handling, etc. - Certain parts, e.g. standards for procedures,
error handling, triggers, already being included
in the new SQL-99 standard.
27Data Exchange Formats
- Purpose
- Standardized formats for sending data between
systems - examples STEP/EXPRESS, PDF, HTML, XML, VRML,
MIDI, MP3, etc. - Engineering domain standard STEP (standard for
exchange of product data) - STEP is an industry wide ISO standard for
exchange of mainly engineering (CAx etc.) data - separates meta-data (schema) and data as for
databases - EXPRESS is data model in database terms i.e. it
is the language in which to define the schema. - STEP models are standardized schemas for
different engineering application areas, e.g.
AP209 - The exchanged data follows specialized STEP
schemas, e.g. PART 21 most common (XML based
too, PART 29) - CAx vendors normally not able to handle EXPRESS
schemas - Only PART 29 files following a specific schema,
e.g. AP 209
28Data Exchange Formats
- The STEP/EXPRESS and database community sometimes
use the same terminology with different meanings - Data model
- database world schema language (i.e. EXPRESS is
a data model) - STEP/EXPRESS world here a particular schema
definition written in EXPRESS - We therefore avoid the word data model to
minimize confusion - Multi-level schema architecture
- database world external - conceptual - internal
schemas - STEP/EXPRESS world
- Application protocol, AP (c.f. external schema)
- Integrated resources, IR (c.f. conceptual schema)
29Data Exchange Formats
- The XML language
- Extension of HTML to be able to define own tags
in web documents, - for exampleltpolygongtltlinegtltstartgt1.2
1.3lt/startgtlt/endgt2.1 3.4lt/endgtlt/linegtltlinegtltsta
rtgt2.1 3.4lt/startgtlt/endgt4.6 4.2lt/endgtlt/linegtlt/p
olygongt - Can also define DTD which is grammar for allowed
tags in the documents referencing it - DTDs are more or less well specified schemas
- On-going work to define real schema language for
XML SMLSchema - XML not object-oriented - only nested structures
30Introduction to AMOS II and AMOSQL
- Kjell Orsborn
- Uppsala Database Laboratory,Department of
Information Technology, Uppsala University,
Uppsala, Sweden
31Iris/OpenODB/Odapter/AMOS II Object-Relational
DBMS
- IRIS
- 1st Object-Relational DBMS Iris research
prototype developed in Database Technology
Department of HP Laboratories - Iris query language OSQL is a functional query
language - OpenODB/Odapter is the HP product based on Iris
- AMOS II
- AMOS II developed at UDBL but has its roots in
Iris - AMOS II runs on PCs under Windows NT/2000 and
Solaris - AMOS II uses query language AMOSQL
- AMOS II system is a fast main-memory DBMS
- AMOS II has single user or optional client-server
configuration - The object part of SQL99 is close to AMOSQL
- Mediator facilities AMOS II is also a
multi-database (mediator) system for integrationg
data from other databases
32AMOS II / Iris Data Model
- Basic elements in the AMOS II data model
33AMOS II Data Model
- Objects
- Atomic entities (no attributes)
- Belong to one or more types where one type is the
most specific type - Regard database as set of objects
- Built-in atomic types, literals
- String, Integer, Real, Boolean
- Collection types
- Bag, Vector
- Surrogate types
- objects have unique object identifiers (OIDs)
- explicit creation and deletion
- DBMS manages OIDs
- AMOSQL example
- create person instances tore
34AMOS II Data Model
- Types
- Classification of objects
- groups of OIDs belong to different types
- Multiple inheritance supported
- Organized in a type/subtype Directed Acyclic
Graph - defines that OIDs of one type is a subset of OIDs
of other types - Types and functions are objects too
- of types type and function
- Part of the AMOS II type hierarchy
35AMOS II Data Model
- Types continued
- Every object is an instance of at least one type
- A type set is associated with each OID
- Each OID has one most specific type
- Each surrogate type has an extent which is the
set of objects having that type in its type set. - System understands subtype/supertype
relationships - Objects of user-defined types are instances of
type Type and subtypes of UserObject - User defined objects always contains class
UserObject in its type set - Object types may change dynamically (roles)
36AMOS II Data Model
- Functions
- Define semantics of objects
- properties of objects
- relationships among objects
- views on objects
- stored procedures for objects
- Functions are instances of type Function
- More than one argument allowed
- Bag valued results allowed, e.g. Parents
- Multiple valued results allowed
- Sets of multiple tuple valued results most general
37AMOS II Data Model
- A function has two parts
- 1) signature
- name and types or arguments and results
- examples
- name(person p) -gt charstring nname(department
d) -gt charstring ndept(employee e) -gt department
dplus(number x, number y) -gtnumber
rchildren(person m, person f) -gt bag of person
cmarriages(person p) -gt bag of ltPerson s,
Integer yeargt - 2) implementation
- specifies how to compute outputs from valid
inputs - non-procedural specifications, except for stored
procedures - A function also contains an extent, i.e. a set of
mappings from argument(s) to result(s) - for examplename(tore) Torename(d1)
Toysdept(tore) d1plus(1,2) 3 or (12
3) Indefinite extent!children(tore,ulla)
karl,oskarmarriages(tore) lteva,
1971gt,ltulla,1981gt
38AMOS II Data Model
- AMOSQL has four kinds of functions
- 1) stored functions (c.f. relational tables,
object attributes) - values stored explicitly in database
- 2) derived functions (c.f. relational views,
object methods) - defined in terms of queries and other functions
using AMOSQL - compiled and optimized by Amos when defined for
later use - 3) database procedures (c.f. stored procedures,
object methods) - for procedural computations over the database
- 4) foreign functions (c.f. object methods)
- escape to programming language (Java, C, or Lisp)
e.g. for foreign database access - Functions can also be overloaded
- overloaded functions have several different
definition depending on the types of their
arguments and results.
39AMOSQL language - schema definition and
manipulation
- Creating types
- create type Person
- create type Student under Person
- create type Instructor under Person
- create type TAssistant under Student, Instructor
40AMOSQL language - schema manipulation
- Delete a type
- delete type Person
- referential integrity maintained
- types Person, Student, Instructor and TAssistent
also deleted - Create functions
- create function name (Person p) -gt Charstring nm
as stored - create function name (Course) -gt Charstring as
stored - create function teaches(Instructor) -gt bag of
Course as stored - create function enrolled(Student) -gt bag of
Course as stored - create function instructors(Course c) -gt
Instructor i as select i where teaches(i) c - The instructors function is the inverse of teaches
41AMOSQL language - schema manipulation
- Delete functions
- delete function teaches
- referential integrity maintained.
- e.g. function instructors also deleted
- Defining type and attributes
- create type Person properties(name
Charstring,birthyear Integer,hobby Charstring) - name, birthyear, hobby are defined together with
type Person - Above equivalent to
- create type Personcreate function name(Person)
-gt Charstring as storedcreate function
birthyear(Person) -gt Integer as storedcreate
function hobby(Person) -gt Charstring as stored
42AMOSQL language - schema manipulation
- Example of inherited properties
- create type Person properties (name Charstring
key, age Integer, spouse Person) - create type Employee under Person properties
(dept Department) - Employee will have functions (attributes) name,
age, spouse, dept - Can easily extend with new functions
- create function phone(Person) -gt Charstring as
stored
43AMOSQL language - schema manipulation
- Modeling relationships with cardinality
constraints - create function enrolled(Student e nonkey) -gt
Course c nonkey as stored - create function teaches(Instructor i key) -gt
Course c nonkey as stored - Modeling properties of relationships by
multi-argument stored functions - create function score(Student,Course) -gt Integer
s as stored - Modeling properties of relationships by
multi-argument derived functions - create function instructors(Student s, Course c)
-gt Teacher t asselect t where teaches(t) c and
enrolled(s) c
44AMOSQL language - data definition and manipulation
- Instance creation
- create Person(name, birthyear) instancesrisch
(T.J.M. Risch, 1949),ketabchi (M.A.
Ketabchi, 1950) - equivalent formulationcreate Person instances
ketabchi, rischset name(risch) T.J.M.
Rischset birthyear(risch) 1949set
name(ketabchi) M.A. Ketabchiset
birthyear(ketabchi)1950 - Instance deletion
- delete rischdelete ketabchi
45AMOSQL language - data manipulation
- Calling functions
- name(risch)T.J.M. Risch
- equivalent formulationselect name(risch)T.J.
M. Risch - Adding elements to bag-valued functions
- add hobbies(risch) Paintingadd
hobbies(risch) Fishingadd hobbies(risch)
Sailinghobbies(risch)PaintingFishing
Sailing
46AMOSQL language - data definition and manipulation
- Removing elements from set-valued functions
- remove hobbies(risch) Fishinghobbies(risch
)PaintingSailing - Adding type to object
- add type Teacher to rischset teaches(risch)
math - Removing type from object
- remove type Teacher from rischteaches(risch)
Error Function teaches not defined for object - This will also implicitly doremove
teaches(risch) mathGood for database
evolution.
47AMOSQL queries
- AMOSQL power relationally complete and more
- General format
- select ltexpressionsgtfrom ltvariable
declarationsgtwhere ltpredicategt - Example
- select name(p), birthyear(p) from Person p
- Function composition simplifies queries that
traverse function graph (Daplex semantics) - name(parents(friends(risch)))
- More SQLish
- select nfrom Charstring n, Person par, Person
frwhere n name(par) and par parents(fr)
and fr friends(risch) - Works also for bag-valued arithmetic functions
- sqrt(sqrt(16.0))2.0-2.0
48AMOSQL examples
- Examples of functions and ad hoc queries
- create function income(Person) -gt Integer as
storedcreate function taxes(Person) -gt Integer
as storedcreate function parents(Person) -gt bag
of Person as storedcreate function
netincome(Person p) -gt Integer as select
income(p)-taxes(p)create function
sparents(Person c) -gt Student as select
parents(c) / Parent if parent is student bag
of implicit for derived functions /create
function grandsparentsnetincomes(Person c) -gt
Integer as select netincome(sparents(parents(c))
)select name(c)from Person cwhere
grandsparentsnetincomes(c) gt 100000 and income(c)
lt10000
49AMOSQL aggregation functions
- An aggregation function is a function that
coerces some value to a single unit, a bag,
before it is called. - bagged arguments are not distributed as for
other AMOSQL functions (no Daplex semantics for
aggregation functions) - count(parents(friends(risch)))5
- Signature
- create function count(bag of Object) -gt Integer
as foreign ... - Nested queries, local bags
- sum(select income(p) from Person p)
50AMOSQL quantification
- Quantifiers
- Existential and universal quantification over
subqueries supported through two aggregation
operators - create function notany(bag of object) -gt boolean
- create function some(bag of object) -gt boolean
- some tests if there exists some element in the
bag - notany tests if there does not exist some
element in the bag - Example
- create function maxincome(Dept d) -gt Integer as
select income(p)from Employee pwhere dept(p)
d and notany(select true from Employee q where
income(q) gt income(p))
51AMOSQL advanced updates
- Set-oriented updates
- Setting multiple function instances
- set salary(e) sfrom Employee e, Integer
swhere ssalary(manager(e)) - Removing values from set-valued functions
- remove friends(risch) ffrom Person fwhere
age(f) gt age(risch) - remove friends(risch) p from Person pwhere
count(friends(p))gt5
52AMOSQL stored procedures
- Database Procedures
- For example to encapsulate database updates
- create function creperson(charstring nm, integer
inc) -gt person p asbegin create person
instances p set name(p) nm set income(p)
inc result pend - Optimized iterative update
- create function RemoveOldFriends(Person p) -gt
boolean asbegin remove friends(p) s from
Person s where age(s) gt age(p) endRemoveOldF
riends(risch)
53AMOSQL sequences
- Vectors (ordered sequences of objects)
- The datatype vector stores ordered sequences of
objects of any type - Vector declarations can be parameterized by
declaring the typeVector of lttypegt as for
example - create type Segment properties(start Vector of
Real, stop Vector of Real) - create type Polygon properties(segments Vector
of Segment) - Vector values have system provided constructors
- create Segment instances s1, S2set
start(s1)Vector of Real(1.1, 2.3)set
stop(s1)Vector of Real(2.3, 4.6)set
start(s2)Vector of Real(2.8, 5.3) - create Polygon instances p1set
segments(p1)Vector of Segment(s1, s2)
54AMOSQL sequences
- Extended ER notation
- Vector types can be used as any other type
- E.g. functions on sequences can be defined
- create function square(Number r)-gtNumber as
select r r - create function positive(Number r)-gtNumber as
select r where rgt0 - create function length(Segment l) -gt realas
select positive(sqrt(square(start(l)0 -
stop(l)0) square(start(l)1 - stop(l)1))) - create function length(Polygon p) -gt realas
select sum(select length(segments(p)i) from
Integer i) - Vector queries
- length(s1)
- length(p1)
- select s from Segment s where length(s) gt 1.34
55AMOSQL schema queries
- System data can be queried as any other database
data as for example - Find the names of the supertypes of EMPLOYEE
- name(supertypes(typenamed(EMPLOYEE)))PERSON
- Find the resolvents of an overloaded function
- name(resolvents(functionnamed(AGE)))DEPARTMEN
T.AGE-gtINTEGERPERSON.AGE-gtINTEGER - Find the types of the first argument of each
resolvent of a function - name(resolventtype(functionnamed(AGE)))DEPART
MENTPERSON - Find all functions whose single argument have
type PERSON - attributes(typenamed(PERSON))NAMEAGE
56How to run AMOS II
- Install system on your PC by downloading it from
- http//www.csd.uu.se/udbl/amos/
- Run AMOS II with
- amos2
- Users guide in
- http//www.csd.uu.se/udbl/amos/doc/amos_users_gui
de.html - Simple AMOS II tutorial in
- http//www.csd.uu.se/udbl/amos/doc/tut.pdf
57(AM)OSQL in Iris/OpenODB/AMOS II
- Summary
- (AM)OSQL provides flexible OR DBMS capabilities
- Not hard wired object model, but dynamically
extensible model - Extended subset of object part of SQL99
- Very good support for ad hoc queries
- Good schema modification operations
- Object views
- The key is the functional model of (AM)OSQL