1. OBJECT-ROLE MODELING (ORM/NIAM)
Nikol Gkerpini
Department of Information and Computing Sciences
Utrecht University
Utrecht, The Netherlands
cs.uu.nl
Group 3

2. Contents of the Presentation
Introduction to ORM method
Dismantled Version of ORM Design Procedure
Example
Process Description
Related Literature
Conclusions
References

3. Introduction ORM: Similar methods: Origins:
method for analyzing and modeling data at the conceptual level
Formal representation of the UoD (i.e. the domain area)
Objects that play roles and take part in relationships
Similar methods:
ER – Entity Relationship Models
OO – Object-Oriented Approaches (example: UML)
Difference: no attributes
Origins:
Falkenberg (1973): ORM framework; allowed n-ary relationships
Nijssen (1976): Natural language Information Analysis Method; notation for roles and objects
Halpin (1989): first full formalization of the method

4. Introduction (cont.) Information Systems Lifecycle
CSDP (ORM Conceptual Schema Design Procedure)
The original steps:
#1: Transform familiar information into elementary facts, apply quality check.
#2: Derive fact types, apply population check, draw draft conceptual schema
#3:Check for entity types to be combined, add values, note arithmetic derivations
#4: Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
#5: Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivation
#6: Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
#7: Add other constraints and perform final checks.
Data
Analysis
Design
Requirements Analysis
Logical
Mapping
Querying
Data Modeling Solution
CSDP

5. Introduction (cont.) Information Systems Lifecycle
CSDP (ORM Conceptual Schema Design Method)
The original steps:
#1: Transform familiar information into elementary facts, apply quality check.
#2: Derive fact types, apply population check, draw draft conceptual schema
#3:Check for entity types to be combined, add values, note arithmetic derivations
#4: Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
#5: Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivation
#6: Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
#7: Add other constraints and perform final checks.
Data
Analysis
Design
Requirements Analysis
Logical
Mapping
Querying
Data Modeling Solution
CSDP
Independent Step
Actor: Data Analyst
Phase: Data Analysis
Independent Step
Actor: UoD Expert
Phase: Data Analysis
Independent Step
Actor: Data Designer
Phase: Data Design

6. Dismantled Version of ORM Design Procedure
Criteria
Independency
Actors
Phases

7. Example
Step 1 - Transform familiar information examples into elementary facts, and apply quality checks.
Step 2 – Derive fact types, apply population check and draw draft conceptual schema

8. Example (cont.)
Step 3 – Check for entity types that should be combined, add values and note arithmetic derivations
Step 4 – Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
Step 5 – Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations
Step 6 – Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
Step 7 – Add other constraints and perform final checks

9. Example (cont.)
Step 3 – Check for entity types that should be combined and add values and note arithmetic derivations
Step 4 – Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
Step 5 – Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations
Step 6 – Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
Step 7 – Add other constraints and perform final checks

10. Example (cont.)
Step 3 – Check for entity types that should be combined and add values and note arithmetic derivations
Step 4 – Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
Step 5 – Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations
Step 6 – Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
Step 7 – Add other constraints and perform final checks

11. Example (cont.)
Step 3 – Check for entity types that should be combined and add values and note arithmetic derivations
Step 4 – Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
Step 5 – Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations
Step 6 – Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
Step 7 – Add other constraints and perform final checks

12. Example (cont.)
Step 3 – Check for entity types that should be combined and add values and note arithmetic derivations
Step 4 – Add uniqueness constraints, check arity of fact types
Step 5 – Add mandatory role constraints, and check for logical derivations
Step 6 – Add value, set comparison and sub-typing constraints
Step 7 – Add other constraints and perform final checks

13. Process Description The PDD Activities naming:IS Lifecycle Phases
Sub-Activities naming: Sub-Steps of Dismantled CSDP
Uniformity of Constraints addition steps led to sub-PDD creation.

14. Process Description (cont.)

15. Process Description (cont.)

16. Process Description (cont.)

17. Process Description (cont.)
The Sub-PDD
Adaptable abstraction level
Design Details
Less suppression in the main PDD
Add Constraints

18. Related Literature Origins: ORM framework: Falkenberg (1973)
NIAM notation: Nijssen (1976)
Formalization: Halpin (1989)
ORM first Overview: Halpin (1997)
Comparison with ER and UML: (Balsters & Halpin, 2007):
Other fields apart from DBMS
Illustration of complex business rules (Halpin, 1996),
Domain modeling (Proper, Bleeker & Hoppenbrouwers, 2004),
Design of XML-Schemas (Bird, Goodchild & Halpin, 2000),
Creation of metadata repositories (Shelstad, Hallock, Dela Cruz & Barden, 2007).
Extensions of both the NIAM and the ORM method have been developed.
Niam Extension FCO-IM: modelling the conceptual aspects of communication that a DBMS should support (Bakema, Zwart & Lek, 1996).
ORM 2: changes in the graphical notation of the method (Halpin, 2005)
Commercial tools
Microsoft Visio for Enterprise Architects.
CaseTalk is a fact based information workbench supporting FCO-IM. Other open source tools: ORMLite, NormaModeler and Dogma.

19. Conclusions Extended overview of the CSDP
Added meta-model in the related literature
Positioned CSDP in the IS Lifecycle (clarified inputs & outputs)
PDDsubstantial meta-modeling technique
distribution of ORM activities in the IS Lifecycle,
graphically presented order of the CSDP steps
clarification of their actors
CSDP dismantled version occurred during the meta-modeling design.
Adaptable abstraction level depending readers needs.
Usefull to:
ORM practitioners IS Analysts, Database Designers, Modelers and Developers
Method Engineers extend, modify, reconsider or use fragments of the ORM method

20. References
Bakema, G., Zwart, J., & Van der Lek, H. (1996). Fully Communication Oriented Information Modeling (1st ed.). The Hague: Ten Hagen Stam.
Balsters, H. & Halpin, T. A. (2007). Modeling Data Federations in ORM. In Meersman, R., Tari, Z., Herrero, P. et al. (Eds.), On the move to Meaningful Internet Systems (pp ), Vilamoura: Springer.
Bird, L., Goodchild, A., & Halpin, T. A. (2000). Proceedings from 19th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling. Salt Lake City, Utah: Springer.
Halpin, T. A. (1993). What is an elementary fact. Retrieved from HUwww.orm.netU
Halpin, T. A. (1996). Business rules and Object-Role Modeling. In Halpin, T.A. (Ed.), Database Programming and Design: Vol. 9.
Halpin, T. A. (1997). Object-Role Modeling: An Overview. Retrieved from HUwww.orm.netU
Halpin, T. A. (1998). Object-Role Modeling (ORM/NIAM). In Bernus, P., Mertins, K. & Schmidt, G. (Eds.), Handbook on architectures of information systems (pp ). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
Halpin, T., Evans, K., Hallock, P. & MacLean B. (2003). Database Modeling with Microsoft Visio for Enterprise Architects. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, ISBN
Halpin, T. A. (2005). ORM 2. In Meersman, R., Tari, Z., Herrero, P. et al. (Eds.) On the move to Meaningful Internet Systems (pp ), Heidelberg: Springer.
Naiburg, E. J., & Maksimchuck, R.A. (2001). Requirements Definition. In UML for database design (pp ). Boston: Addison-Wesley Professional
Navathe, S. B., Pernul, G. (1992). Conceptual and Logical Design of Relational Databases. In Marshall, C. Y. (Ed.), Advances in Computers (pp. 1-78). London: Academic Press Limited.
Nijssen, G. M. (Eds.). (1976). A gross architecture for the next generation database management systems. Proceedings of IFIP Working Conf. on Modelling in Data Base Management Systems. Freudenstadt, Germany: North-Holland Publishing.
Pol, A. A., & Ahuja, R.K. (1998). Entity-Relationship Modeling. In A.A. Pol (Ed.), Developing Web-Enabled Decision Support Systems (pp ). Belmont, Massachusetts: Dynamic Ideas.
Proper, H. A., Bleeker, A. I., & Hoppenbrouwers, S. J. B. A (2004). Object-role modelling as a domain modelling approach. In Proceedings of Workshop on Evaluating Modeling Methods for Systems Analysis and Design. Riga, Latvia.
Shelstad, B., Hallock, P., Dela Cruz, N., & Barden, D. (2007). Object Role Modeling Enabled Metadata Repository. In Meersman, R., Tari, Z., Herrero, P. et al. (Eds.) On the move to Meaningful Internet Systems (pp ), Berlin: Springer­-Verlag.
Weerd, I. van de, & Brinkkemper, S. (2008). Meta-modeling for situational analysis and design methods. In M.R. Syed, & S.N. Syed, (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Modern Systems Analysis and Design Technologies and Applications (pp ). Hersbey: Idea Group Publishing.
Yeung, A.K.W., & Hall, G.B. (2007). Database Models and Data Modeling. In A.K.W. Yeung, & G.B. Hall (Eds.), Spatial database systems: design, implementation and project management (pp.55-92). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

21. Questions?