Entity Relationship (ER) Diagram Model

with DBMS Example

What is ER Diagram?
ER Diagram stands for Entity Relationship Diagram, also known as ERD
is a diagram that displays the relationship of entity sets stored in a
database. In other words, ER diagrams help to explain the logical
structure of databases. ER diagrams are created based on three basic
concepts: entities, attributes and relationships.

ER Diagrams contain different symbols that use rectangles to represent

entities, ovals to define attributes and diamond shapes to represent
relationships.

At first look, an ER diagram looks very similar to the flowchart. However,

ER Diagram includes many specialized symbols, and its meanings make
this model unique. The purpose of ER Diagram is to represent the entity
framework infrastructure.
 Entity
Relationship Diagram Example
What is ER Model?
ER Model stands for Entity Relationship Model is a high-level
conceptual data model diagram. ER model helps to systematically
analyze data requirements to produce a well-designed database. The ER
Model represents real-world entities and the relationships between
them. Creating an ER Model in DBMS is considered as a best practice
before implementing your database.
ER Modeling helps you to analyze data requirements systematically to
produce a well-designed database. So, it is considered a best practice to
complete ER modeling before implementing your database.

In this Entity Relationship Diagram tutorial, you will learn-

• What is ER Diagram?
• What is the ER Model?
 • History of ER models
• Why use ER Diagrams?
• Facts about ER Diagram Model
• ER Diagrams Symbols & Notations
• Components of ER Diagram
• Relationship
• Weak Entities
• Attributes
• Cardinality
• How to Create an ER Diagram (ERD)
• Best Practices for Developing Effective ER Diagrams

History of ER models
ER diagrams are visual tools that are helpful to represent the ER model.
Peter Chen proposed ER Diagram in 1971 to create a uniform
convention that can be used for relational databases and networks. He
aimed to use an ER model as a conceptual modeling approach.

Why use ER Diagrams?

Here, are prime reasons for using the ER Diagram

• Helps you to define terms related to entity relationship modeling

• Provide a preview of how all your tables should connect, what
fields are going to be on each table
• Helps to describe entities, attributes, relationships
• ER diagrams are translatable into relational tables which allows
you to build databases quickly
• ER diagrams can be used by database designers as a blueprint for
implementing data in specific software applications
• The database designer gains a better understanding of the
information to be contained in the database with the help of ERP
diagram
• ERD Diagram allows you to communicate with the logical
structure of the database to users
Facts about ER Diagram Model
Now in this ERD Diagram Tutorial, let’s check out some interesting
facts about ER Diagram Model:

• ER model allows you to draw Database Design

• It is an easy to use graphical tool for modeling data
• Widely used in Database Design
• It is a GUI representation of the logical structure of a Database
• It helps you to identifies the entities which exist in a system and
the relationships between those entities

ER Diagrams Symbols & Notations

Entity Relationship Diagram Symbols & Notations mainly contains
three basic symbols which are rectangle, oval and diamond to represent
relationships between elements, entities and attributes. There are some
sub-elements which are based on main elements in ERD Diagram. ER
Diagram is a visual representation of data that describes how data is
related to each other using different ERD Symbols and Notations.

Following are the main components and its symbols in ER Diagrams:

• Rectangles: This Entity Relationship Diagram symbol represents

entity types
• Ellipses : Symbol represent attributes
• Diamonds: This symbol represents relationship types
• Lines: It links attributes to entity types and entity types with other
relationship types
• Primary key: attributes are underlined
• Double Ellipses: Represent multi-valued attributes
 ER Diagram Symbols
Components of the ER Diagram
This model is based on three basic concepts:

• Entities
• Attributes
• Relationships

ER Diagram Examples

For example, in a University database, we might have entities for

Students, Courses, and Lecturers. Students entity can have attributes
like Rollno, Name, and DeptID. They might have relationships with
Courses and Lecturers.

Components of the ER Diagram

WHAT IS ENTITY?
A real-world thing either living or non-living that is easily recognizable
and nonrecognizable. It is anything in the enterprise that is to be
represented in our database. It may be a physical thing or simply a fact
about the enterprise or an event that happens in the real world.

An entity can be place, person, object, event or a concept, which stores

data in the database. The characteristics of entities are must have an
attribute, and a unique key. Every entity is made up of some ‘attributes’
which represent that entity.

Examples of entities:

• Person: Employee, Student, Patient

• Place: Store, Building
• Object: Machine, product, and Car
• Event: Sale, Registration, Renewal
• Concept: Account, Course

Notation of an Entity

Entity set:
Student

An entity set is a group of similar kind of entities. It may contain entities

with attribute sharing similar values. Entities are represented by their
properties, which also called attributes. All attributes have their
separate values. For example, a student entity may have a name, age,
class, as attributes.
Example of Entities:

A university may have some departments. All these departments

employ various lecturers and offer several programs.

Some courses make up each program. Students register in a particular

program and enroll in various courses. A lecturer from the specific
department takes each course, and each lecturer teaches a various
group of students.

Relationship
Relationship is nothing but an association among two or more entities.
E.g., Tom works in the Chemistry department.

Entities take part in relationships. We can often identify relationships

with verbs or verb phrases.

For example:

• You are attending this lecture

• I am giving the lecture
• Just loke entities, we can classify relationships according to
relationship-types:
• A student attends a lecture
• A lecturer is giving a lecture.

Weak Entities
A weak entity is a type of entity which doesn’t have its key attribute. It
can be identified uniquely by considering the primary key of another
entity. For that, weak entity sets need to have participation.

In above ER Diagram examples, “Trans No” is a discriminator within a

group of transactions in an ATM.

Asperiants
Strong Entity Set Weak Entity Set
Strong entity set always has a primary
It does not have enough attributes to build a primary key.
key.
It is represented by a rectangle symbol. It is represented by a double rectangle symbol.
It contains a Primary key represented It contains a Partial Key which is represented by a dashed
by the underline symbol. underline symbol.
The member of a strong entity set is The member of a weak entity set called as a subordinate entity
called as dominant entity set. set.
Primary Key is one of its attributes In a weak entity set, it is a combination of primary key and
which helps to identify its member. partial key of the strong entity set.
In the ER diagram the relationship
The relationship between one strong and a weak entity set
between two strong entity set shown by
shown by using the double diamond symbol.
using a diamond symbol.
The connecting line of the strong entity The line connecting the weak entity set for identifying
set with the relationship is single. relationship is double.
Let’s learn more about a weak entity by comparing it with a Strong
Entity

Attributes
It is a single-valued property of either an entity-type or a relationship-
type.

For example, a lecture might have attributes: time, date, duration,

place, etc.

An attribute in ER Diagram examples, is represented by an Ellipse

Types of Attributes Description
Simple attributes can’t be divided any further. For example, a
Simple attribute
student’s contact number. It is also called an atomic value.
It is possible to break down composite attribute. For example, a
Composite attribute student’s full name may be further divided into first name,
second name, and last name.
This type of attribute does not include in the physical database.
However, their values are derived from other attributes present
Derived attribute
in the database. For example, age should not be stored directly.
Instead, it should be derived from the DOB of that employee.
Multivalued attributes can have more than one values. For
Multivalued attribute example, a student can have more than one mobile number,
email address, etc.

Cardinality
Defines the numerical attributes of the relationship between two
entities or entity sets.

Different types of cardinal relationships are:

• One-to-One Relationships
• One-to-Many Relationships
• May to One Relationships
• Many-to-Many Relationships

1.One-to-one:

One entity from entity set X can be associated with at most one entity of
entity set Y and vice versa.

Example: One student can register for numerous courses. However, all
those courses have a single line back to that one student.

2.One-to-many:

One entity from entity set X can be associated with multiple entities of
entity set Y, but an entity from entity set Y can be associated with at
least one entity.

For example, one class is consisting of multiple students.

3. Many to One

More than one entity from entity set X can be associated with at most
one entity of entity set Y. However, an entity from entity set Y may or
may not be associated with more than one entity from entity set X.

For example, many students belong to the same class.

4. Many to Many:

One entity from X can be associated with more than one entity from Y
and vice versa.

For example, Students as a group are associated with multiple faculty

members, and faculty members can be associated with multiple
students.

How to Create an Entity Relationship Diagram

(ERD)
Now in this ERD Diagram Tutorial, we will learn how to create an ER
Diagram. Following are the steps to create an ER Diagram:

Steps to Create an ER Diagram

Let’s study them with an Entity Relationship Diagram Example:
In a university, a Student enrolls in Courses. A student must be assigned
to at least one or more Courses. Each course is taught by a single
Professor. To maintain instruction quality, a Professor can deliver only
one course

Step 1) Entity Identification

We have three entities

• Student
• Course
• Professor

Step 2) Relationship Identification

We have the following two relationships

• The student is assigned a course

• Professor delivers a course

Step 3) Cardinality Identification

For them problem statement we know that,

• A student can be assigned multiple courses

• A Professor can deliver only one course

Step 4) Identify Attributes

You need to study the files, forms, reports, data currently maintained by
the organization to identify attributes. You can also conduct interviews
with various stakeholders to identify entities. Initially, it’s important to
identify the attributes without mapping them to a particular entity.

Once, you have a list of Attributes, you need to map them to the
identified entities. Ensure an attribute is to be paired with exactly one
entity. If you think an attribute should belong to more than one entity,
use a modifier to make it unique.

Once the mapping is done, identify the primary Keys. If a unique key is
not readily available, create one.

Entity Primary Key Attribute

Student Student_ID StudentName
Professor Employee_ID ProfessorName
Course Course_ID CourseName

For Course Entity, attributes could be Duration, Credits, Assignments,

etc. For the sake of ease we have considered just one attribute.

Step 5) Create the ERD Diagram

A more modern representation of Entity Relationship Diagram Example
Best Practices for Developing Effective ER
Diagrams
Here are some best practice or example for Developing Effective ER
Diagrams.

• Eliminate any redundant entities or relationships

• You need to make sure that all your entities and relationships are
properly labeled
• There may be various valid approaches to an ER diagram. You
need to make sure that the ER diagram supports all the data you
need to store
• You should assure that each entity only appears a single time in
the ER diagram
• Name every relationship, entity, and attribute are represented on
your diagram
• Never connect relationships to each other
• You should use colors to highlight important portions of the ER
diagram

Summary
• ER Model in DBMS stands for an Entity-Relationship model
• The ER model is a high-level data model diagram
• ER diagrams are a visual tool which is helpful to represent the ER
model
• ER diagrams in DBMS are blueprint of a database
• Entity relationship diagram DBMS displays the relationships of
entity set stored in a database
• ER diagrams help you to define terms related to entity
relationship modeling
• ER Model in DBMS is based on three basic concepts: Entities,
Attributes & Relationships
• An entity can be place, person, object, event or a concept, which
stores data in the database (DBMS)
 • Relationship is nothing but an association among two or more
entities
• A weak entity is a type of entity which doesn’t have its key
attribute
• It is a single-valued property of either an entity-type or a
relationship-type
• It helps you to defines the numerical attributes of the relationship
between two entities or entity sets
• ER- Diagram DBMS is a visual representation of data that describe
how data is related to each other
• While Drawing ER diagrams in DBMS, you need to make sure all
your entities and relationships are properly labelled.

How to Draw an Entity Relationship Diagram

There are a few basic steps to take to draw an ER diagram anywhere: in Gliffy, with
Powerpoint, a whiteboard, or even on the back of a napkin. Here’s the basic order to follow.

1. Determine the Entities in Your ERD

Start by identifying the “what”s in your system or architecture. Entities are represented with a
rectangle, and you’ll want to give them plenty of room so that you can add to your diagram in
the next steps.2. Add Attributes to Each EntityNext, consider the attributes that you
need to describe each entity. These are drawn and labeled inside ovals. Connect these to
the relevant entity and position your attributes to the outside of your diagram, which leaves
room for relationships.

3. Define the Relationships Between Entities

Now, think through the relationships or verbs taking place within your system. The easiest
way to do this is to look at each entity and try to connect it to another by saying, “What does
the ___ do with the ___.” The customer purchases the phone. The cell service maintains the
phone. The cell service creates a bill. The customer pays the bill.

4. Add Cardinality to Every Relationship in your ER Diagram

The final step for this simple ER diagram is to define the amount of data that will come from
each entity. Cardinality is a simple notation that quickly tells your ERD reader whether there
are zero, one, many, or some combination of those factors between each entity. Your
customer can purchase one or many phones. The cell service maintains many phones. The
customer pays one bill.

5. Finish and Save Your ERD

This is just a high-level ER diagram, but it provides enough detail that you should now have
a teammate or partner check your work — if you're working in Confluence, you can even
invite them to a real-time collaboration session. One of the best ways to check your work is
to simply have them try to read your diagram out loud. If they end up telling a different story
than you intended, you need to do some tweaking.

Another good step to take is to clean up or polish your diagram — if you were drawing by
hand, you might have some stray eraser marks. Take a moment to finalize your diagram by
aligning shapes, adding color, or redrawing lines to more clearly connect your entities,
attributes, and relationships. All these steps are easy if you’re using an online diagramming
tool like Gliffy!