What characterizes an Object Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS)?

An Object Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS) is characterized by its combination of object-oriented and relational features. This design approach allows ORDBMS to manage complex data types alongside traditional relational data types, effectively enhancing the capabilities of relational database systems.

By integrating object-oriented concepts such as classes and objects, an ORDBMS can store and manipulate not only simple data types such as integers and strings but also more complex data structures, such as multimedia files and sophisticated data models. This hybrid structure caters to the growing need for advanced data management applications that involve both structured and unstructured data. The ability to use inheritance and encapsulation from object-oriented programming also allows developers to build more flexible and maintainable database applications.

This combination distinguishes ORDBMS from traditional relational databases, which are typically limited to handling structured data. Thus, the incorporation of both object-oriented and relational paradigms results in a more versatile database management approach that can better meet modern data requirements.