This paper will introduce the object-relational database concept to Esri users, a technology that is used in SDE. This paper will highlight how multiple data types, such as images, CAD files, text, maps, and audio, can be managed in a single database available throughout the enterprise and the Internet. This will be a technical discussion of how those data types are stored, managed, and accessed using the emerging SQL3 standard for complex data. An example of O-R technology is in law enforcement, where voice prints, fingerprints, crime scene photos, and maps are managed centrally in the database.