The Object Oriented Data Model

Data Model
• A data model is a logic organization of the real
world objects (entities), constraints on them,
and the relationships among objects. A DB
language is a concrete syntax for a data
model. A DB system implements a data
model.
 A core object-oriented data model consists of
the following basic object-oriented concepts:
• (1) object and object identifier: Any real world
entity is uniformly modeled as an object
(associated with a unique id: used to pinpoint an
object to retrieve).
• (2) attributes and methods: every object has a
state (the set of values for the attributes of the
object) and a behavior (the set of methods -
program code - which operate on the state of the
object). The state and behavior encapsulated in
an object are accessed or invoked from outside
the object only through explicit message passing.
 Continue…
• (3) class: a means of grouping all the objects which
share the same set of attributes and methods. An
object must belong to only one class as an instance of
that class (instance-of relationship). A class is similar to
an abstract data type. A class may also be primitive (no
attributes), e.g., integer, string, Boolean.
• (4) Class hierarchy and inheritance: derive a new class
(subclass) from an existing class (superclass). The
subclass inherits all the attributes and methods of the
existing class and may have additional attributes and
methods. single inheritance (class hierarchy) vs.
multiple inheritance (class lattice).
Object-Oriented Data Modeling

5
 Objectives
• Definition of terms
• Describe phases of object-oriented development life cycle
• State advantages of object-oriented modeling
• Compare object-oriented model with E-R and EER models
• Model real-world application using UML class diagram
• Provide UML snapshot of a system state
• Recognize when to use generalization, aggregation, and
composition
• Specify types of business rules in a class diagram

6
 What is Object-Oriented Data Modeling?
• Centers around objects and classes
• Involves inheritance
• Encapsulates both data and behavior
• Benefits of Object-Oriented Modeling
– Ability to tackle challenging problems
– Improved communication between users, analysts, designers, and
programmers
– Increased consistency in analysis, design, and programming
– Explicit representation of commonality among system components
– System robustness
– Reusability of analysis, design, and programming results

7
 Progressive and interative development process

8
 OO vs. EER Data Modeling
Object Oriented EER
Class Entity type
Object Entity instance
Association Relationship
Inheritance of attributes Inheritance of attributes
Inheritance of behavior No representation of
behavior

Object-oriented modeling is typically represented using the

Unified Modeling Language (UML)

9
 Classes and Objects
• Class: An entity that has a well-defined role in the
application domain, as well as state, behavior,
and identity
– Tangible: person, place or thing
– Concept or Event: department, performance,
marriage, registration
– Artifact of the Design Process: user interface,
controller, scheduler

• Object: a particular instance of a class

Objects exhibit BEHAVIOR as well as attributes

 Different from entities
10
 State, Behavior, Identity
• State: attribute types and values
• Behavior: how an object acts and reacts
– Behavior is expressed through operations that can
be performed on it
• Identity: every object has a unique identity,
even if all of its attribute values are the same

11
 Figure 2 UML class and object diagram
a) Class diagram showing two classes

Class diagram shows the static structure of an object-oriented

model: object classes, internal structure, relationships.

12
 Figure 2 UML class and object diagram (cont.)
b) Object diagram with two instances

Object diagram shows instances that are compatible with a

given class diagram.

13
 Operation
• A function or service that is provided by all
instances of a class
• Types of operations:
– Constructor: creates a new instance of a class
– Query: accesses the state of an object but does not
alter its state
– Update: alters the state of an object
– Scope: operation applying to the class instead of an
instance
Operations implement the object’s behavior

14
 Associations
• Association:
– Named relationship among object classes
• Association Role:
– Role of an object in an association
– The end of an association where it connects to a
class
• Multiplicity:
– How many objects participate in an association.
Lower-bound..Upper bound (cardinality)

15
 Figure 3
Examples of association relationships of different degrees
Unary
Lower-bound – upper-bound

Represented as:
0..1, 0..*, 1..1, 1..*

Similar to
minimum/maximum
cardinality rules in EER

Binary

Ternary

16
 Figure 4 Examples of binary association relationships
a) University example

Alternative multiplicity
representation: specifying the
two possible values in a list
instead of a range

17
 Figure 4 Examples of binary association relationships (cont.)
b) Customer Order example

18
Figure 5
Object diagram
for customer
order example

19
 Association Class
• An association that has attributes or
operations of its own or that participates in
relationships with other classes

• Like an associative entity in ER model

20
 Figure 14-6 Association class and link object
a) Class diagram showing association classes

Binary association
class with behavior

Unary association with only

attributes and no behavior

21
 Figure 6 Association class and link object (cont.)
b) Object diagram showing link objects

Association class
instances

22
 Figure Ternary relationship with association class

23
 Figure 8 Derived attribute, association, and role

Constraint expression for derived attribute

Derived attribute

Derived relationship (from Registers-for and Scheduled-for)

Derived attributes and relationships shown with / in front of the name

24
 Generalization/Specialization
• Subclass, superclass
– similar to subtype/supertype in EER
• Common attributes, relationships, and operations
• Disjoint vs. Overlapping
• Complete (total specialization) vs. incomplete (partial
specialization)
• Abstract Class: no direct instances possible, but
subclasses may have direct instances
• Concrete Class: direct instances possible

25
Figure 9 Examples of generalization, inheritance, and constraints
a) Employee superclass with three subclasses

An employee can
only be one of
Shared attributes these subclasses
and operations An employee
may be none
of them.

Specialized attributes and operations

26
Figure 9 Examples of generalization, inheritance, and constraints (cont.)
b) Abstract Patient class with two concrete subclasses

Abstract indicated by italics

A patient MUST be
EXACTLY one of the
subtypes
Dynamic means a
patient can change from one subclass to
another over time

27
 Class-Scope Attribute
• Specifies a value common to an entire class,
rather than a specific value for an instance.

• Represented by underlining

• “=“ is initial, default value

28
 Polymorphism
• Abstract Operation: Defines the form or
protocol of the operation, but not its
implementation
• Method: The implementation of an operation
• Polymorphism: The same operation may
apply to two or more different classes in
different ways

29
 Figure 11 Polymorphism, abstract operation, class-scope
attribute, and ordering

This operation is abstract…it has

no method at Student level

Class-scope attributes–
only one value common
to all instances of these
classes (includes default
values)
Methods are defined at subclass level

30
 Overriding Inheritance
• Overriding: The process of replacing a method
inherited from a superclass by a more specific
implementation of that method in a subclass
– For Extension: add code
– For Restriction: limit the method
– For Optimization: improve code by exploiting
restrictions imposed by the subclass

31
 Figure 12 Overriding inheritance

Subclasses that
do not
override place-
student use
the default
behavior

Restrict job placement

32
 Multiple Inheritance
• Multiple Classification: An object is an
instance of more than one class

• Multiple Inheritance: A class inherits features

from more than one superclass

33
 Figure 13 Multiple
inheritance

34
 Aggregation
• Aggregation: A part-of relationship between a
component object and an aggregate object

• Composition: A stronger form of aggregation in

which a part object belongs to only one whole
object and exists only as part of the whole object

• Recursive Aggregation: Composition where

component object is an instance of the same class
as the aggregate object

35
 Figure 14 Example of aggregation

A Personal Computer includes CPU, Hard Disk, Monitor, and Keyboard

as parts. But, these parts can exist without being installed into a
computer. The open diamond indicates aggregation, but not
composition
36
 Figure 14-15 Aggregation and Composition

(a) Class diagram

Closed diamond indicates

composition. The room cannot
exist without the building

(b) Object diagram

37
 Figure 14-16 Recursive aggregation

38
 Business Rules
• Implicit and explicit constraints on objects – for
example:
– cardinality constraints on association roles
– ordering constraints on association roles
• Business rules involving two graphical symbols:
– labeled dashed arrow from one to the other
• Business rules involving three or more graphical
symbols:
– note with dashed lines to each symbol

39
 Figure 17 Representing business rules

Three-
symbol
constraint

Two-symbol
constraint

40
Figure 18 Class
diagram for
Pine Valley
Furniture
Company

41