Database Management Systems

The omission of the Object-Oriented (OO) model is a clear indication that, at the enterprise level, the ability to store persisted XML documents in either native-XML databases or in extended RDBMSs, has overtaken the OO model. The class structures as defined in the OO model can be handled within XML structures (there are multiple cross-over points between the two), and the only need for OODBMSs is to form a technology element for storing XML structures. The actual workings of the OODBMS model are discussed in Section 3.4.3.

In many respects, the OO model has been abstracted to a higher level, where it more naturally resides. The indication of how this is implemented appears in Section 4.1.3, which considers both metadata management in general, and also looks at some of the specifics of the Meta-Object Facility (MOF) from the Object Management Group (OMG).

This Section provides a key indication as to the way that data and information has to be managed in a more integrated environment; showing the distinctions that have to exist between database management and Information Asset Management (IAM).

Section 4.1.1 of this Report also discusses IAM in terms of how the dichotomy between data management and database management can be resolved. Although data is physically tied to the implemented database system (and to a certain extent limited by that implementation), it should not also be conceptually tied and limited by the implementation.