Object-oriented database systems have been approached with mainly two major intentions in mind, namely to better support new application areas including CAD/CAM, office automation, knowledge engineering, and to overcome the `impendance mismatch' between data models and programming languages. This volume gives a comprehensive overwiew of developments in this flourishing area of current database research.

I: Introduction.- 1. Object-Oriented Database Systems: The Notion and the Issues ..- II: Data Model Concepts.- 2. An Overview of PDM: An Object-Oriented Data Model.- 3. Views, Objects, and Databases.- 4. Inheritance Issues in Computer-Aided Design Databases.- 5. Object Management in Postgres using Procedures.- 6. Handling Constraints and their Exceptions: An Attached Constraint Handler for Object-Oriented CAD Databases.- III: Language Issues.- 7. Object-Oriented GALILEO.- 8. An Object-Oriented Database for Trellis.- 9. Godai: An Object-Centered Database Language.- IV: Interfaces.- 10. PROTEUS: The DBMS User Interface as an Object.- 11. An Object-Oriented Interface to a Relational Database.- V: Application Support.- 12. A Shared Object Hierarchy.- 13. Towards an Object-Oriented Data Model for a Mechanical CAD Database System.- 14. A Data Modeling Methodology for the Design and Implementation of Information Systems.- VI: Architecture.- 15. The Architecture of the EXODUS Extensible DBMS.- 16. Persistent Memory: A Storage System for Object-Oriented Databases.- 17. ObServer: An Object Server for an Object-Oriented Database System.- 18. Generating Object-Oriented Database Systems with the Data Model Compiler.- 19. Design Issues for Object-Oriented Database Systems.- VII: Implementation Aspects.- 20. Associative Access Support in GemStone.- 21. The Efficient Support of Functionally-Defined Data in Cactis.- 22. Managing Complex Objects in the Darmstadt Database Kernel System.- VIII: Conclusions.- 23. Summary.- References.- Contributors.

Object-oriented database systems have been approached with mainly two major intentions in mind, namely to better support new application areas including CAD/CAM, office automation, knowledge engineering, and to overcome the `impendance mismatch' between data models and programming languages. This volume gives a comprehensive overwiew of developments in this flourishing area of current database research. Data model and language aspects, interface and database design issues, architectural and implementation questions are covered. Although based on a series of workshops, the contents of this book has been carefully edited to reflect the current state of international research in object oriented database design and implementation.