1. A method of managing an object database for objects comprising: receiving a database path query expression comprising a main expression and a treat-as expression; translating the database path query expression into an object query; and querying the object database using the object query; wherein the translating comprises: breaking the path query expression into nodes; examining each node to identify objects for selection and objects from which selection is made; consolidating objects for selection from each node in the sub-expression into a sub-SELECT clause; consolidating objects for selection in each node of the main expression into a SELECT clause; consolidating objects from which selection is made from nodes in the sub-query into a sub-FROM clause; consolidating objects from which selection is made from nodes in the main query into a FORM clause; and forming the object query from the SELECT clause; from the FROM clause; and from a WHERE clause wherein the WHERE clause consists of the sub-SELECT clause and the sub-FROM clause and a sub-WHERE clause that links the scope of the sub-SELECT clause to the scope of the SELECT clause.