Lecture 05. E-R model

keys

E-R Diagram

• Rectangles represent entity sets.
• Diamonds represent relationship sets.
• Lines link attributes to entity sets and entity sets to relationship sets.
• Ellipses represent attributes.
  • Double ellipses represent multivalued attributes.
  • Dashed ellipses denote derived attributes.
• Underline indicates primary key attributes.

• We express cardinality constraints by drawing either a directed line (→), signifying “one”, or an undirected line (—), signifying “many”, between the relationship set and the entity set.
  

• Total participation (全参与) (indicated by double line): every entity in the entity set participates in at least one relationship in the relationship set.
  E.g., participation of loan in borrower is total.
  Every loan must have a customer associated to it via borrower.

• Partial participation (部分参与): some entities may not participate in any relationship in the relationship set.
  

• An entity set that does not have a primary key is referred to as a weak entity set
  The discriminator or partial key (分辨符或部分码) of a weak entity set is the set of attributes that distinguishes among all those entities in a weak entity set that depend on one particular strong entity
  
  
  
  

• 若一个对象只对其名字及单值感兴趣，则可作为属性，如性别；若一个对象除名字外，本身还有其他属性需描述，则该对象应定义为实体集。如电话, 部门.

• 一个对象不能同时作为实体和属性.

• 一个实体集不能与另一实体集的属性相关联，只能实体与实体相联系