text: How to handle this data is left up to the application. OAM handles an unlimited number of 
  objects, which can be stored on magnetic disk, magnetic tape, or optical storage. Objects are 
  different from datasets, which are handled by existing access methods. The following 
  characteristics distinguish objects from traditional datasets: 
  
  (cid:2) Lack of record orientation: No concept of individual records within an object exists. 
  
  (cid:2) Broad range of size: An object might contain less than 1 KB or up to 256 MB of data. 
  
  (cid:2) Volume: Objects are much smaller than datasets; however, they can use much more 
  
  external storage, depending on the type of application that creates them, such as image 
  applications. 
  
  (cid:2) Access time requirements: Reference patterns for objects change over time, allowing less 
  critical objects to be placed on lower-cost, slower devices or media. 