By definition, an object oriented database (ODBMS) is a database management system in which information is represented in the form of objects used in object-oriented programming. Object databases store objects rather than data such as integers, strings or real numbers. Objects basically consist of
- Attributes, which are data that define the characteristics of an object. This data may be simple such as integers, strings, and real numbers or it may be a reference to a complex object.
- Methods, which define the behavior of an object.
Object oriented database are most useful in
- CAS Applications: CASE-computer aided software engineering, CAD-computer aided design, CAM-computer aided manufacture.
- Commerce
- Multimedia Applications
- Object projects that change over time.
Using object oriented database has many advantages:
- Objects don't require assembly and dis-assembly saving coding time and execution time to assemble or disassemble objects.
- Reduces paging
- Easier navigation
- Data model is based on the real world.
- Works well for distributed architectures.
- Less code required.
ODBMS will be widely used in the future by BIM. It will help reduce project sizes and make it easier to search and navigate; easy share among architects etc. Just as any human invention, objected oriented database have disadvantages. Compared to relational database management systems (RDBMS), ODBMS have the following disadvantages:
- Lower efficiency.
- Relational tables are simpler.
- Late binding that could slow access speed.
- More user tools exist for RDBMS.
- Standards for RDBMS are more stable.
References:
"OBJECT-ORIENTED DATABASE (OODB)." OBJECT-ORIENTED DATABASE (OODB). Web. 9 Feb. 2015. <http://people.cs.pitt.edu/~chang/156/19oodb.html>.
Comments:
Kevin Saldivar: You've brought up all the advantages of using ODBMS, have you researched its disadvantages?
Yu-Sen: It is very informative, your idea of connecting the use of object oriented database to BIM. I am curious, somehow, is this really as user friendly as it seems? I mean how easy would it be for those who are not designers, architects etc to access what they need. And how exactly will they understand the coding?
Anthony Yau: I have to admit that it worries me how much things are changing in the field that we have chosen. Although all of these changes tend to be positive, it will be hard for everyone to adapt. And I agree that one day or another, most of us will be forced to learn how to create these and I am curious how much it will cost to train every employee, because most of us are don't really have experience in everything that the field requires.
Yu-Sen: It is very informative, your idea of connecting the use of object oriented database to BIM. I am curious, somehow, is this really as user friendly as it seems? I mean how easy would it be for those who are not designers, architects etc to access what they need. And how exactly will they understand the coding?
Anthony Yau: I have to admit that it worries me how much things are changing in the field that we have chosen. Although all of these changes tend to be positive, it will be hard for everyone to adapt. And I agree that one day or another, most of us will be forced to learn how to create these and I am curious how much it will cost to train every employee, because most of us are don't really have experience in everything that the field requires.
I like the way you've presented what OODBMS was. It was very clear and concise and allowed me to understand your insight about the future with BIM. Something that I found was that OODBMS was limited strongly due to the type of programming language that the object would be using. For example, an object designed and recorded in C++ cannot be read by a Python program. However, this is not the case for a RDBMS.
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