Summary
OSID Providers may not return null values. This may restrict implementors accustomed to implementing data transfer objects against databases. We need to look at the role of the OsidObject and the OsidForm as independent interfaces to solve this dilemma.
OsidObjects
OsidObjects are consumable interfaces which provide a view into a provider-owned entity. An OSID Provider may or may not provide direct administrative management of the entity. All or part of an OsidObject may be pulled from a data store, the result of data transformation, a representation of a different OsidObject, or completely made up.
An OsidObject is an interface that does not reveal anything about underlying data.