ODBMS

An Object-Oriented Database Management System, or ODBMS, is a type of database management system that manages data in the form of objects, similar to how object-oriented programming languages manage objects. Unlike relational databases that store data in tables with rows and columns, ODBMS store complex data structures as objects. These objects have attributes (data) and methods (functions that operate on the data). This object-oriented approach allows for the direct storage and retrieval of objects created in object-oriented programming languages, eliminating the need for object-relational mapping.

Key features of ODBMS include support for complex data types, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation. Inheritance allows new object classes to inherit properties from existing ones, promoting code reusability. Polymorphism enables objects of different classes to respond to the same method call in their own specific ways. Encapsulation bundles data and the methods that operate on that data into a single unit, the object. These characteristics make ODBMS well-suited for applications dealing with intricate data relationships, such as engineering design, multimedia systems, and scientific research. The direct mapping between programming language objects and database objects can lead to improved performance and simplified development in certain scenarios.