TARTOS-tool box for active real-time object-oriented database system models

When real-time databases are to be used in application environments, new requirements should be met by the underlying data model. While the relational data model is very good at modeling simple real-world entities with temporal and logical consistency, its limits are obvious when more modeling power is needed. An object-oriented approach can answer the modeling needs, but on the other hand it can introduce unwanted complexity to a model. One way to overcome these problems is to define a set of independent elements that can be used as the primary components of a model. A model designer can choose suitable components to design a model that is tailored to specific application needs. We call this a tool box approach. We present our tool box approach called TARTOS (Tool box for Active Real-Time Object-oriented database System models). It defines a database model from a set of components that are either necessary or optional to the model. Every component has a structure that is made of a set of necessary and optional subcomponents. With this approach it is possible to design a tailored real-time object-oriented data model that answers exactly the needs presented for a specific environment without extra complexity