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Week 4 - Entity Notation

The document discusses entity notation and describes entity types, attributes, and relationships. It defines entity types as collections of entities that share properties. It also describes different types of attributes like required vs optional, simple vs composite, single-valued vs multi-valued, and stored vs derived. Identifier attributes and strong vs weak entities are also explained.

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Jay Bee Quiratman
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
11 views

Week 4 - Entity Notation

The document discusses entity notation and describes entity types, attributes, and relationships. It defines entity types as collections of entities that share properties. It also describes different types of attributes like required vs optional, simple vs composite, single-valued vs multi-valued, and stored vs derived. Identifier attributes and strong vs weak entities are also explained.

Uploaded by

Jay Bee Quiratman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Entity Notation

Week 4
Objectives
:
1. Make use of the different entity notation
available
2. Identify valid attributes for an entity
3. Differentiate the different types attributes
Entities
Entity
Entity Entity Type Instance
A person, a A collection of A single
place, an entities that occurrence of
object, an event share common an entity type
or a concept in properties or
the user characteristics
environment
about which the
organization
wishes to
maintain data
Entity Type and Entity Instances
An Entity…
• An object that will have many
instances in the database
• An object that will be composed of
Should be:
multiple attribute
• An object that we are trying to
model
• A user of the database system
Should not
be: • An output of the database system
like report etc.
Example of inappropriate entities

System user
System output
Inappropriate
entities

Classifications of attributes: Classifications of attributes:


– Required versus Optional Attributes
– Simple versus Composite Attribute Simple versus Composite
Attribute
– Single-Valued versus Multi-valued Attribute
– Stored versus Derived Attributes Stored versus Derived
Appropriate entities Attributes
– Identifier Attributes
Strong vs. Weak Entities, and Identifying Relationships

Strong Weak
Entity Entity
• Exist independently of • Dependent on a strong • Links strong entities to
other types of entities entity and cannot exist week entities
• Has its own unique on its own
identifier • Does not have a unique
• Identifier underlined with identifier
single line • Entity box and partial
identifiers have double
lines

Identifying
Strong Weak
Relationshi
Required vs. Optional Attributes

Required – must have a value for every Optional – may not have a value for every
entity (or relationship) instance with which it entity (or relationship) instance with which it
is associated is associated
Simple vs. Composite Attributes

The address is broken into


component parts

Composite attribute – An attribute that has meaningful component parts


(attributes)
Simple and composite identifier attributes

The identifier is
boldfaced and
underlined
Multi-valued and Derived Attributes

Multivalued Derived
an employee can have Calculated from
more than one skill date employed and
current date

Multivalued – may take on more than one Derived – values can be calculated from
value for a given entity (or relationship) related attribute values (not physically stored
instance in the database)
Criteria for Identifier

Choose Identifiers that will Avoid intelligent identifiers


not change in value and will (e.g., containing locations or
not be null people that might change)

Substitute new, simple keys


for long, composite keys
Naming Attributes

Name should be a
Name should be
singular noun or
unique
noun phrase

Similar attributes of
Name should follow different entity types
a standard format should use the same
qualifiers and class
Defining Attributes
State what the
Make it clear what is
attribute is and Include aliases in
and is not included in
possibly why it is documentation
the attribute’s value
important

State min and max


Specify required vs.
State source of values number of
optional
occurrences allowed

Indicate relationships
with other attributes
Resources:

Hoffer, J. A., Ramesh, V., & Topi, H. (2016). Modern Database


Management (12th Ed). Singapore: Pearson Education
Limited .

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