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DBMS Database Models

The document discusses different database models including hierarchical, network, entity-relationship, and relational models. The hierarchical model organizes data in a tree structure, the network model extends this to allow multiple parents, the entity-relationship model divides data into entities and attributes that can be related, and the relational model organizes data into tables and maintains relationships through common fields. The relational model is now the most widely used database structure.

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Betelihem Dawit
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58 views

DBMS Database Models

The document discusses different database models including hierarchical, network, entity-relationship, and relational models. The hierarchical model organizes data in a tree structure, the network model extends this to allow multiple parents, the entity-relationship model divides data into entities and attributes that can be related, and the relational model organizes data into tables and maintains relationships through common fields. The relational model is now the most widely used database structure.

Uploaded by

Betelihem Dawit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DBMS Database Models

A Database model defines the logical design and structure of a database and
defines how data will be stored, accessed and updated in a database management
system. While the Relational Model is the most widely used database model, there
are other models too:

 Hierarchical Model
 Network Model
 Entity-relationship Model
 Relational Model

Hierarchical Model

This database model organizes data into a tree-like-structure, with a single root, to
which all the other data is linked. The hierarchy starts from the Root data, and
expands like a tree, adding child nodes to the parent nodes.

In this model, a child node will only have a single parent node.

This model efficiently describes many real-world relationships like index of a


book, recipes etc.

In hierarchical model, data is organised into tree-like structure with one one-to-
many relationship between two different types of data, for example, one
department can have many courses, many professors and of-course many students.
Network Model

This is an extension of the Hierarchical model. In this model data is organised


more like a graph, and are allowed to have more than one parent node.

In this database model data is more related as more relationships are established in
this database model. Also, as the data is more related, hence accessing the data is
also easier and fast. This database model was used to map many-to-many data
relationships.

This was the most widely used database model, before Relational Model was
introduced.

Entity-relationship Model

In this database model, relationships are created by dividing object of interest into
entity and its characteristics into attributes.

Different entities are related using relationships.

E-R Models are defined to represent the relationships into pictorial form to make it
easier for different stakeholders to understand.

This model is good to design a database, which can then be turned into tables in
relational model(explained below).

Let's take an example, If we have to design a School Database, then Student will be
an entity with attributes name, age, address etc. As Address is generally complex,
it can be another entity with attributes street name, pincode, city etc, and there will
be a relationship between them.

Relationships can also be of different types. To learn about E-R Diagrams in


details, click on the link.
Relational Model

In this model, data is organized in two-dimensional tables and the relationship is


maintained by storing a common field.

This model was introduced by E.F Codd in 1970, and since then it has been the
most widely used database model, infact, we can say the only database model used
around the world.

The basic structure of data in the relational model is tables. All the information
related to a particular type is stored in rows of that table.

Hence, tables are also known as relations in relational model.

In the coming tutorials we will learn how to design tables, normalize them to
reduce data redundancy and how to use Structured Query language to access data
from tables.

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