An object-oriented framework for temporal data models

Abstract

Most of the database research on modeling time has concentrated on the definition of a particular temporal model and its incorporation into a (relational or object) database management system. This has resulted in quite a large number of different temporal models, each providing a specific set of temporal features. Therefore, the first step of this work is a design space for temporal models which accommodates multiple notions of time, thereby classifying design alternatives for temporal models. The design space is then represented by exploiting object-oriented features to model the different aspects of time. An object-oriented approach allows us to capture the complex semantics of time by representing it as a basic entity. Furthermore, the typing and inheritance mechanisms of object-oriented systems allow the various notions of time to be reflected in a single framework. The framework can be used to accommodate the temporal needs of different applications, and derive existing temporal models by making a series of design decisions through subclass specialization. It can also be used to derive a series of new more general temporal models that meet the needs of a growing number of emerging applications. Furthermore, it can be used to compare and analyze different temporal object models with respect to the design dimensions.