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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteAn object data model describes a domain as objects or object types, their properties, and the relationships between them. In object-database contexts, it may also specify each object’s identity and the operations it supports. The term does not have one universally agreed scope, so it helps to distinguish the general modeling idea from the more specific object-database model.
What does an object data model describe?
It describes the structure of information by identifying the things or facts that matter in a domain and how they relate. A model typically defines object types, the properties associated with those types, and connections between objects. Depending on the modeling tradition, it may also define behavior and object identity.
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For example, a library model could include Book, Author, and Publisher types. A book could have a title property and relationships to one or more authors and a publisher. In an object-database model, the design might additionally specify how each book object is identified and what operations can be performed on it.
What are the main parts of the model?
Objects, identity, state, and behavior
In an object-database framing, an object is commonly described through identity, state, and behavior. Identity distinguishes one object from another; state is represented by property values; and behavior is represented by operations associated with the object. Properties can include both attributes, such as a book’s title, and relationships, such as its publisher.
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Some object database descriptions give every object a unique system-provided ID. This is one specific way to handle identity, not a requirement of every object data model.
Types and classes
A type or class describes a category of objects and the properties or operations its members share. An individual object that belongs to a class is an instance of that class. Class definitions can form part of a database schema: they specify the kinds of objects and structures the database can contain.
Relationships and inheritance
Relationships express associations among objects, such as a book being written by an author. Inheritance organizes types into hierarchies: a subclass can be defined in relation to a superclass. Which relationship and inheritance features are available—and how they are constrained—depends on the model being used.
How is an object data model different from a database schema?
The terms overlap, but they are not always interchangeable. An object data model is the set of concepts and structures used to describe objects, properties, relationships, and, in some approaches, identity and operations. A database schema is the defined structure for a particular database, such as its types and the properties they permit.
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In object database approaches, class or type definitions may directly contribute to that schema. More broadly, a conceptual object model can describe a domain before decisions are made about a particular database’s schema or storage.
How does it relate to conceptual, logical, and physical data models?
The IEC 62264-2:2026 preview defines an object model as “a conceptual data model of the structure of data.” In that terminology, the object model captures the concepts and relationships that matter without prescribing their implementation.
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- Conceptual model: identifies the domain concepts and relationships to represent.
- Logical model: expresses those concepts using a particular data-manipulation technology, such as tables and columns, object-oriented classes, or XML tags.
- Physical model: describes storage and deployment choices for the implementation.
These are different levels of description, not competing names for the same artifact. A conceptual object model can inform a logical design, which can then be implemented using physical storage choices.
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No. UML is a notation that can be used to represent an object model; the diagram is not the model itself. The IEC 62264-2:2026 preview describes object models represented with UML models and definition tables. UML can show objects, attributes, relationships, and roles, while the underlying model is the domain structure those representations describe.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the term have one standard definition?
No single definition covers every use. A government-hosted technical reference on object database management systems states, “So far, there is no complete consensus on the object data model.” Its account focuses on objects with data structures and operations, unique IDs, classes, instances, and inheritance. Other uses of the term may emphasize the more general idea of objects, types, properties, and relationships without requiring explicit identity or behavior.
ODMG’s object model is a historical example of the object-database approach. Its concepts include objects and literals, types, properties, operations, schemas, and language-independent object specifications. In that framework, an application object model defines particular types and serves as the database’s logical schema. It should be understood as one standards example, not as a description of every current database.
IEC 62264-2:2026 is a newer, domain-specific standards reference for enterprise-control information models. Its preview is useful for the conceptual, logical, and physical distinctions, but it should not be treated as evidence for requirements beyond what the preview states.
What should you specify when creating or comparing one?
Make the model’s scope explicit before choosing a notation or implementation. For a useful design or comparison, identify:
Quick Recap
- Which domain concepts the model includes and leaves out.
- How it represents identity, properties, relationships, and behavior.
- Whether it uses inheritance or other type hierarchies, and what rules govern them.
- How the conceptual structure maps to the chosen logical schema and physical storage.
- Whether the intended audience needs a technology-independent information model or a design tied to a specific implementation.
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