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Homonyms and Synonyms in Database

Homonyms and synonyms can cause confusion in databases by referring to different or same concepts respectively. Homonyms like "name" can apply to both students and lecturers, while synonyms like "email address" and "electronic mail" refer to the same contact information. To overcome this, databases can assign unique identifiers to each entity, provide contextual attributes, implement controlled vocabularies, and perform regular data validation.

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151 views

Homonyms and Synonyms in Database

Homonyms and synonyms can cause confusion in databases by referring to different or same concepts respectively. Homonyms like "name" can apply to both students and lecturers, while synonyms like "email address" and "electronic mail" refer to the same contact information. To overcome this, databases can assign unique identifiers to each entity, provide contextual attributes, implement controlled vocabularies, and perform regular data validation.

Uploaded by

etapebenida2005
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Homonyms And Synonyms In Database

What Are Homonyms And Symonyms?


• Homonyms are words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings. In a
database, homonyms can cause confusion because the same word can mean different things,
which makes it hard to understand. For example a database that stores data about students and
lecturers. Within this database, the term "Name" is utilized as a field to denote both the names of
students and lecturers. When a search is conducted for the term "name," the database might
present outcomes related to both students and lecturers, leading to confusion. This confusion
emerges because the identical term "name" is employed to signify distinct ideas or individuals
present in the database.
• Synonyms in a database are words or terms that share similar or identical meanings. They serve
as alternative options for referring to the same concept or entity present in the database. n a
database of customer information, the terms "email address" and "electronic mail" can be defined
as synonyms. Both terms refer to the digital address used for sending and receiving electronic
messages. Users can search for customer information using either "email address" or "electronic
mail" as keywords, and the database will retrieve the same results, offering alternative ways to
refer to the contact information in the database.

How To Overcome Homonyms And Synonyms In Database


• Unique Identifiers: Databases often assign unique identifiers or keys to each entity or concept.
This ensures that even if homonyms or synonyms exist, each entity can be uniquely identified,
preventing confusion and ambiguity.
• Contextual Information: Databases can include additional contextual information to disambiguate
homonyms. For example, when storing names, a database may include additional attributes like
"Role" or "Category" to distinguish between student names and lecturer names.
• Controlled Vocabulary: Databases can implement controlled vocabularies or standardized
terminologies to ensure consistent usage of terms. This approach minimizes the occurrence of
synonyms and promotes uniformity in data representation.
• Data Validation and Quality Control: Regular data validation and quality control processes can
help identify and correct instances of homonyms or synonyms. By ensuring data accuracy and
consistency, databases can mitigate the impact of these linguistic challenges.

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