On the Algebraic Model of Inheritance in Object-Oriented Databases

By extending order-sorted algebra,this paper develops an algebraic model of subtype based on the idea that a type is a form of behavior and a subtype is a behaviorally compatible specialization of the behavior Subtypes are classified into complete and partial subtypes due to the preservation of complete or partial behavioral compatibility.The problem of ambiguity caused by overloading of functions is also solved.