Metaclasses and their application : data model tailoring and database integration

Conventional object-oriented data models are closed: although they allow users to define application-specific classes, they usually come with a fixed set of modelling primitives. This constitutes a major problem, as different application domains, e.g. database integration or multimedia, need special support. Using an extended metaclass concept, this book provides for the solution of this problem a simple but extendible open object-oriented data model, a so-called RISC model. By introducing the basic concepts of the open object-oriented database management system VODAK, it demonstrates how the extended metaclass concept can be integrated homogeneously into object-oriented data models.

Conventional object-oriented data models are closed: although they allow users to define application-specific classes, they usually come with a fixed set of modelling primitives. This constitutes a major problem, as different application domains, e.g. database integration or multimedia, need special support.
Using an extended metaclass concept, this book provides for the solution of this problem a simple but extendible open object-oriented data model, a so-called RISC model. By introducing the basic concepts of the open object-oriented database management system VODAK, it demonstrates how the extended metaclass concept can be integrated homogeneously into object-oriented data models.

Introduction....Pages 1-7 Fundamental principles of object-oriented systems....Pages 8-13 Basic concepts for metaclasses in the object-oriented data model....Pages 14-70 Semantic data modelling....Pages 71-81 Metaclasses for semantic data modelling....Pages 82-122 Object class definition by generalization....Pages 123-149 Metaclasses for object class definition by generalization....Pages 150-171 Metaclasses in other object-oriented systems....Pages 172-177 Conclusion....Pages 178-181