Conclusion

Methods are a powerful new tool in the Oracle developer’s arsenal. For the first time, database applications can more closely mirror the functionality of object-oriented programming by fusing data with behavior. The one aspect of modeling database applications in the real world that confounded developers was the ability to adequately combine the behavior (business rule) of an element with the data itself. The encapsulation of data with its associated behavior, as is commonly done in the object-oriented paradigm, is key to the effective modeling and implementation of complex systems. The exciting new object extensions in Oracle8 bring this sorely needed functionality to the object-relational paradigm. Along with this exciting new functionality, however, comes added complexity in planning and design.

References

Material for this paper was drawn from The Oracle8 Black Book by Michael R. Ault, published by the Coriolis Group, 1998. and High Performance Oracle8 Object Oriented Design by David A. Anstey, published by the Coriolis Group, 1998.

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