Database Design Using Entity-Relationship Diagrams

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Entity-relationship (E-R) diagrams are time-tested models for database development well-known for their usefulness in mapping out clear database designs. Also commonly known is how difficult it is to master them. With this comprehensive guide, database designers and developers can quickly learn all the ins and outs of E-R diagramming to become expert database designers. Because E-R diagrams are so fundamental to database design, this book is also an indispensable text for teaching computer science students the basics of database development. Database Design Using Entity-Relationship Diagrams clarifies E-R diagramming by defining it in terms of requirements (end user requests) and specifications (designer feedback to those requests).

The book explains how open communication between designers and end users is critical to developing usable, easy-to-understand E-R diagrams that model both requirements and specifications. The authors explain, in an intuitive, informal manner, how to develop an E-R diagram, how to map it to a database, and how the resulting database can be tested. This definitive guide is a basic component for any database course, and is also an invaluable reference that database professionals can use throughout their careers.

This book is intended to be used by database practitioners and students for data modeling. It is also intended to be used as a supplemental text in database courses, systems analysis and design courses, and other courses that design and implement databases. Many present-day database and systems analysis and design books limit their coverage of data modeling. This book not only increases the exposure to data modeling concepts, but also presents a detailed, step-by-step approach to designing an ER diagram and developing the relational database from it.

TABLE OF CONTENT:
Chapter 01 - The Software Engineering Process and Relational Databases
Chapter 02 - The Basic ER Diagram—A Data Modeling Schema
Chapter 03 - Beyond the First Entity Diagram
Chapter 04 - Extending Relationships/Structural Constraints
Chapter 05 - The Weak Entity
Chapter 06 - Further Extensions for ER Diagrams with Binary Relationships
Chapter 07 - Ternary and Higher-Order ER Diagrams
Chapter 08 - Generalizations and Specializations
Chapter 09 - Relational Mapping and Reverse-Engineering ER Diagrams
Chapter 10 - A Brief Overview of the Barker/Oracle-Like Model