object management system concepts
An office database should be a total information resource in that it should be capable of storing data of many arbitrary types. Users of such a system should be able to store conveniently their documents and graphics objects in the same logical storage space as their more traditional records-oriented data. This paper presents a data model that can be used to describe more effectively the objects that occur naturally in the office environment. This model exploits some of the richer semantics of office objects such as the containment of one object within another (e.g., reports contain chapters) and the version histories of objects and their constituent parts. This model forms the basis for our experimental object management system which is used to support the creation of new office application programs.
object management systems concept data database informal resource types users documentation graphics storage space paper data models model environments exploit semantic container version histories experimentation support applications program records