@TECHREPORT{R-96-28, PSURL = {/publications/cgi-bin/tr-fetch.pl?r-96-28+ps}, NUMBER = {R-96-28}, INSTITUTION = ida, ADDRESS = idaaddr, YEAR = {1996}, AUTHOR = {Flodin, Staffan and Orsborn, Kjell and Risch, Tore}, TITLE = {Using Multi-Method Queries in Finite Element Analysis }, ABSTRACTURL = {/publications/cgi-bin/tr-fetch.pl?r-96-28+abstr}, ABSTRACT = {The object-oriented model is often motivated by its support for new emerging application areas such as finite element analysis (FEA), computer-aided design or office automation systems. However, our experience when building such a system (FEA) using an object-relational database management system is that an object-oriented model extended with multi-methods is needed. Our application domain also needs support for multi-methods where methods may be called with any configuration of bound or unbound arguments, multi-directional queries. In this paper we show by using excerpts from an FEA application the benefits of multi-directional multi-methods and we also show how to process queries with multi-directional multi-methods and how to make these optimizable in presence of late binding. }