Nested Ordered Sets and their Use for Data Modelling

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept-oriented model (CoM), a novel data modeling approach based on nested ordered sets that combines hierarchical and multi-dimensional structures for flexible data representation.

Contribution

It presents the formalism of nested ordered sets for data modeling and introduces a new query language with operations tailored for this approach.

Findings

Defines the concept-oriented model (CoM) with nested ordered sets

Proposes a new query language with concept-based constructs

Demonstrates how to solve data modeling tasks using projection and de-projection

Abstract

In this paper we present a new approach to data modelling, called the concept-oriented model (CoM), and describe its main features and characteristics including data semantics and operations. The distinguishing feature of this model is that it is based on the formalism of nested ordered sets where any element participates in two structures simultaneously: hierarchical (nested) and multi-dimensional (ordered). An element of the model is postulated to consist of two parts, called identity and entity, and the whole approach can be naturally broken into two branches: identity modelling and entity modelling. We also propose a new query language with the main construct, called concept, defined as a pair of two classes: identity class and entity class. We describe how its operations of projection, de-projection and product can be used to solve typical data modelling tasks.