Temporal modeling and ORM

Abstract

One difficult task in information modeling is to adequately address the impact of time. This paper briefly reviews some popular approaches for modeling temporal data and operations, then provides a conceptual framework for classifying temporal information, and proposes data model patterns to address time-impacted tasks such as modeling histories, and tracking entities across time as they migrate between roles. Special attention is given to capturing the relevant business rules. While the data modeling discussion focuses on Object-Role Modeling (ORM), many of the basic principles discussed can be adapted to other approaches such as Entity Relationship Modeling (ER) and the Unified Modeling Language (UML).