ABSTRACT
In the case of an Object Oriented database management system (OODBMS), though, there are currently so many variables that comparison between systems is very difficult. This problem will need to be resolved before OODBMSs take off as commercial products. This chapter provides an introduction to the important features of an OODBMS, and a yardstick against which to evaluate OODBMS products. All major systems provide a query language, a data manipulation language which may be hosted with a precompiler or compiled procedures or self-contained, and a forms-based interface. An OODBMS must obviously contain database facilities, but it must also support Object Oriented concepts. The database system must provide for the end-user: persistence; and a query facility. A system containing all the features mentioned above might be assumed to provide an adequate OODBMS. The storage of data on different media and distributed over different computer systems is becoming more and more common.
