Function Materialization in Object Bases: Design, Realization and Evaluation

View materialization is a well-known optimization technique of relational database systems. In this work we present a similar, yet more powerful optimization concept for object-oriented data models: function materialization. Exploiting the object-oriented paradigm---namely classification, object identity, and encapsulation---facilitates a rather easy incorporation of function materialization into (existing) object-oriented systems. Only those types (classes) whose instances are involved in some materialization are appropriately modified and recompiled---thus leaving the remainder of the object system invariant. Furthermore, the exploitation of encapsulation (information hiding) and object identity provides for additional performance tuning measures which drastically decrease the invalidation and rematerialization overhead incurred by updates in the object base. First, it allows to cleanly separate the object instances that are irrelevant for the materialized functions from those that a..