A strategy for the integration of object-oriented data modeling into the undergraduate database course

• Authors: Bruce J. Neubauer
• Venue: Proceedings of the seventh annual consortium for computing in small colleges central plains conference on The journal of computing in small colleges
• Year: 2001

Computer programming and business-systems design are increasingly embracing the object paradigm. It is important that students learn both traditional methods and object methods in the undergraduate database course. Object-oriented concepts such as generalization hierarchies and aggregation require a substantially different mindset than does the traditional course content. Most database textbooks are attempting to integrate the presentation of the traditional and the object-oriented concepts. This can be confusing to students who lack grounding in either approach to data modeling. This article proposes that following the traditional presentation of normalization, the star-schema design of data marts be used as a transition between the traditional methods and the object-oriented database design methods. The denormalized dimensions used in the design of data marts are conceptually similar to entity classes. Object-relational design can then be presented in terms of moving common attributes up the generalization hierarchy into parent and abstract classes. Finally, methods can be added in order to introduce the students to fully object-oriented database design. The author reports preliminary experiences in presenting the material in this way to an undergraduate class.