Concept-Oriented Query Language for Data Modeling and Analysis - Advanced Database Query Systems - page 99

heritance. This use of inclusion turns objects into sets (of their sub-objects) and makes the whole
approach intrinsically set-based rather than instance-based.

• Partial order instead of graph. COM proposes to partially order all data elements by assum-

ing that references represent greater elements and dimension types of concepts represent greater
concepts. Data modeling is then reduced to ordering elements so that other properties and mecha-
nisms are derived from this relation. Note that partial order also allows us to treat elements as sets
of their lesser elements.

These principles are rather general and support many mechanisms and patterns of thought currently
being used in data modeling. In particular, we demonstrated how this approach can be used for logical
navigation using operations of projection and de-projection, inference where constraint propagation path
is chosen automatically, and multidimensional analysis where cube and measures are easily constructed
using the partially ordered structure of the model. Taking into account its simplicity and generality,
COM and COQL seem rather perspective direction for further research and development activities in
the area of data modeling.

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