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Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management: Entity Relationship (ER) Modeling

The document discusses entity relationship (ER) modeling and how it is used to design databases. It explains the key components of ER modeling including entities, attributes, relationships, connectivity, cardinality. It also covers how to develop an entity relationship diagram and notes that database design requires balancing goals and making compromises.

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tinishdharan
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54 views

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management: Entity Relationship (ER) Modeling

The document discusses entity relationship (ER) modeling and how it is used to design databases. It explains the key components of ER modeling including entities, attributes, relationships, connectivity, cardinality. It also covers how to develop an entity relationship diagram and notes that database design requires balancing goals and making compromises.

Uploaded by

tinishdharan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Database Systems: Design,

Implementation, and
Management
Eighth Edition

Entity Relationship (ER) Modeling


Objectives

• In this chapter, you will learn:


– The main characteristics of entity relationship
components
– How relationships between entities are defined,
refined, and incorporated into the database
design process
– How ERD components affect database design
and implementation
– That real-world database design often requires
the reconciliation of conflicting goals
Database Systems, 8th Edition 2
The Entity Relationship (ER) Model

• ER model forms the basis of an ER diagram


• ERD represents conceptual database as
viewed by end user
• ERDs depict database’s main components:
– Entities
– Attributes
– Relationships

Database Systems, 8th Edition 3


Entities

• Refers to entity set and not to single entity


occurrence
• Corresponds to table and not to row in
relational environment
• In Chen and Crow’s Foot models, entity
represented by rectangle with entity’s name
• Entity name, a noun, written in capital letters

Database Systems, 8th Edition 4


Attributes

• Characteristics of entities
• Chen notation: attributes represented by ovals
connected to entity rectangle with a line
– Each oval contains the name of attribute it
represents
• Crow’s Foot notation: attributes written in
attribute box below entity rectangle

Database Systems, 8th Edition 5


Database Systems, 8th Edition 6
Attributes (continued)

• Required attribute: must have a value


• Optional attribute: may be left empty
• Domain: set of possible values for an attribute
– Attributes may share a domain

Database Systems, 8th Edition 7


Database Systems, 8th Edition 8
Attributes (continued)

• Composite attribute can be subdivided


• Simple attribute cannot be subdivided
• Single-value attribute can have only a single
value
• Multivalued attributes can have many values

Database Systems, 8th Edition 9


Database Systems, 8th Edition 10
Attributes (continued)

• M:N relationships and multivalued attributes should


not be implemented
– Create several new attributes for each of the
original multivalued attributes components
– Create new entity composed of original
multivalued attributes components
• Derived attribute: value may be calculated
from other attributes
– Need not be physically stored within database

Database Systems, 8th Edition 11


Database Systems, 8th Edition 12
Relationships

• Association between entities


• Participants are entities that participate in a
relationship
• Relationships between entities always operate
in both directions
• Relationship can be classified as 1:M
• Relationship classification is difficult to establish
if only one side of the relationship is known

Database Systems, 8th Edition 13


Connectivity and Cardinality

• Connectivity
– Describes the relationship classification
• Cardinality
– Expresses minimum and maximum number of
entity occurrences associated with one
occurrence of related entity
• Established by very concise statements known
as business rules

Database Systems, 8th Edition 14


Database Systems, 8th Edition 15
Relationship Participation

• Optional participation
– One entity occurrence does not require
corresponding entity occurrence in particular
relationship
• Mandatory participation
– One entity occurrence requires corresponding
entity occurrence in particular relationship

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Relationship Degree
• Indicates number of entities or participants
associated with a relationship
• Unary relationship
– Association is maintained within single entity
• Binary relationship
– Two entities are associated
• Ternary relationship
– Three entities are associated

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Database Systems, 8th Edition 21
Associative (Composite) Entities

• Also known as bridge entities


• Used to implement M:N relationships
• Composed of primary keys of each of the
entities to be connected
• May also contain additional attributes that play
no role in connective process

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Database Systems, 8th Edition 24
Developing an ER Diagram
• Database design is an iterative process
– Create detailed narrative of organization’s
description of operations
– Identify business rules based on description of
operations
– Identify main entities and relationships from
business rules
– Develop initial ERD
– Identify attributes and primary keys that
adequately describe entities
– Revise and review ERD
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Summary

• Entity relationship (ER) model


– Uses ERD to represent conceptual database as
viewed by end user
– ERM’s main components:
• Entities
• Relationships
• Attributes
– Includes connectivity and cardinality notations

Database Systems, 8th Edition 34


Summary (continued)

• Connectivities and cardinalities are based on


business rules
• M:N relationship is valid at conceptual level
– Must be mapped to a set of 1:M relationships
• Database designers are often forced to make
design compromises

Database Systems, 8th Edition 35

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