Object-relational mapping¶
«Object-relational mapping (…) in computer science is a programming technique for converting data between incompatible type systems using object-oriented programming languages.»[1]
In the simplest case, classes are mapped to tables, with each object corresponding to a table row and each attribute to a table column.
There are essentially three different methods of mapping inheritance hierarchies:
- Single Table
One table is created for each inheritance hierarchy, with all attributes of the base class and all classes derived from it being stored in a common table.
- Joined Table or Class Table
A table is created for each subclass and a further table for each subclass derived from it.
- Table per Class or Concrete Table
The attributes of the abstract base class are included in the tables for the specific subclasses. However, it is not possible to determine instances of different classes with one query.