If we look back to pre-database systems and the data units which were in use, we will establish a hierarchy starting with the concept of 'field' used to build 'records' which were in turn used to build higher data units such as 'files'. The file was considered to be the ultimate data unit of information processing and data binding 'monolith'. Moreover, pre database systems were designed with one or more programming languages in mind and this in effect restricted independent develop ment and modelling of the applications and associated storage structures. Database systems came along not to...