The object-oriented data model aims at bridging the semantic gap between relation tables and entities of the real world through objects that directly correspond to entities. An object has a unique and immutable object identifier, and it belongs to a class. Classes are object definitions; they comprise attributes and operations over the class or the attributes. Both attributes and operations may be private to a class, i.e.\ visible only to objects belonging to that class (encapsulation), or public, i.e. visible to other classes. Classes are organised in class hierarchies and may inherit attributes and operations from superclasses. Operations are invoked by sending an object messages (message passing) which are executed if the required operation is defined for the object, otherwise they are passed on to the superclass.
In general, object-oriented DBMSs are integrated into an object-oriented programming language, giving them the full expressive power of the programming language and persistent object storage. Object-oriented DBMSs have just entered the marketplace, and they are successful in non-standard applications which require the full expressive power of programming languages, or complex and highly diverse data structures.
, ObjectStore, POSTGRES, Starburst, GemStone
and many others