Object-Relational Mapping Based On Virtual Columns

A method for mapping object data to relational data, the method comprising:

• receiving a specification describing an object model, the object model comprising one or more object types, wherein objects of each object type are stored in a table of a database;
• receiving, from the database, information describing a table associated with an object type, the table comprising a set of columns, the object type comprising a set of mapped attributes, each mapped attribute associated with a distinct column of the set of columns, the object type further comprising a plurality of unmapped attributes;
• identifying a set of mapped attributes of the object type, each mapped attribute mapped to a distinct column of the set of columns;
• identifying an auxiliary table configured to store name-value pairs;
• identifying a set of unmapped attributes of the object type for storing in the auxiliary table, wherein each unmapped attribute fails to map to a distinct column from the set of columns;
• storing an object of the object type in the database, the storing comprising:
• identifying a record of the table associated with the object;
• storing each mapped attribute in the corresponding column of the table;
• and
• storing the unmapped attributes as name-value pairs in the auxiliary table.

A computer-implemented system for object-relational mapping using virtual columns, the system comprising:

• a computer processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions configured to execute on the computer processor, the instructions for:
• storing a representation of an object model comprising one or more object types, each object type associated with a table of a database, wherein objects of each object type map to records stored in the table;
• identifying an object type in the object model, the object type associated with a table comprising a set of columns, the table associated with a virtual column, the object type comprising:
• a set of mapped attributes, wherein a mapped attribute is mapped to a distinct column of the table;
• and
• a set of unmapped attributes, wherein an unmapped attribute fails to map to a distinct column of the table;
• receiving a request to create a new object of the object type;
• and
• storing an object of the object type, the storing comprising:
• storing a record of the table corresponding to the object, wherein each mapped attribute of the object is stored in the record as a value of a column associated with the mapped attribute;
• representing the set of unmapped attributes of the object as an encoded value;
• and
• storing the encoded value in the virtual column.