The OverRelational Manifesto

Abstract

The OverRelational Manifesto (below ORM) proposes a possible approach to creation of data storage systems of the next generation. ORM starts from the requirement that information in a relational database is represented by a set of relation values. Accordingly, it is assumed that the information about any entity of an enterprise must also be represented as a set of relation values (the ORM main requirement). A system of types is introduced, which allows one to fulfill the main requirement. The data are represented in the form of complex objects, and the state of any object is described as a set of relation values. Emphasize that the types describing the objects are encapsulated, inherited, and polymorphic. Then, it is shown that the data represented as a set of such objects may also be represented as a set of relational values defined on the set of scalar domains (dual data representation). In the general case, any class is associated with a set of relation variables (R-variables) each one containing some data about all objects of this class existing in the system. One of the key points is the fact that the usage of complex (from the user's viewpoint) refined names of R-variables and their attributes makes it possible to preserve the semantics of complex data structures represented in the form of a set of relation values. The most important part of the data storage system created on the approach proposed is an object-oriented translator operating over a relational DBMS. The expressiveness of such a system is comparable with that of OO programming languages.