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By Suhas Das
Author
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In OpenText Documentum, the object model is the fundamental structure used to represent and manage all content within the repository.
What is the Documentum Object Model?
The Documentum object model is an object-oriented framework that defines how content, metadata, and relationships are stored and managed in the repository (docbase).
In this model:
- Everything is treated as an object
- Each object has attributes (metadata)
- Objects can have relationships with other objects
Hierarchical Structure
The object model follows a hierarchical structure, similar to object-oriented programming.
- There are parent (supertype) objects
- There are child (subtype) objects
Key Concept:
- Child objects inherit all attributes and behaviors of the parent object
This inheritance allows:
- Reusability of definitions
- Consistency across object types
- Easier customization and extension
Example of Inheritance
A common example:
-
dm_sysobject→ Base system object -
dm_document→ Inherits fromdm_sysobject -
Custom object types → Can inherit from
dm_document
Each level:
- Adds more specific attributes
- Retains all properties of its parent
Key Components of the Object Model
- Object Types → Define structure (e.g., documents, folders)
- Attributes → Metadata describing the object
- Inheritance → Parent-child relationship between types
- Relationships → Links between different objects
Why It Matters
The object model provides:
- Flexibility → Easily extendable for custom business needs
- Consistency → Standardized way to manage all content
- Scalability → Supports large and complex repositories
Conclusion
The Documentum object model is a hierarchical, object-oriented system where all content is represented as objects with inherited attributes and behaviors. This design enables powerful, flexible, and scalable content management across the enterprise.