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Chapter 2: Intro To Relational Model

This chapter introduces the relational model and its core concepts. It defines what a relation is as a set of tuples with attributes. It describes attribute types including null values. It also covers keys, foreign keys, and schema diagrams. The chapter concludes with an overview of relational query languages including relational algebra.

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23 views9 pages

Chapter 2: Intro To Relational Model

This chapter introduces the relational model and its core concepts. It defines what a relation is as a set of tuples with attributes. It describes attribute types including null values. It also covers keys, foreign keys, and schema diagrams. The chapter concludes with an overview of relational query languages including relational algebra.

Uploaded by

Bhavik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2: Intro to Relational Model

Database System Concepts, 6th Ed.


©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
See www.db-book.com for conditions on re-use
Example of a Relation

attributes
(or columns)

tuples
(or rows)

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.2 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Attribute Types

 The set of allowed values for each attribute is called the domain
of the attribute
 Attribute values are (normally) required to be atomic; that is,
indivisible
 The special value null is a member of every domain. Indicated
that the value is “unknown”
 The null value causes complications in the definition of many
operations

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.3 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Relation Schema and Instance
 A1, A2, …, An are attributes

 R = (A1, A2, …, An ) is a relation schema

Example:
instructor = (ID, name, dept_name, salary)
 Formally, given sets D1, D2, …. Dn a relation r is a subset of
D1 x D2 x … x Dn
Thus, a relation is a set of n-tuples (a1, a2, …, an) where each ai  Di
 The current values (relation instance) of a relation are specified by
a table
 An element t of r is a tuple, represented by a row in a table

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.4 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Relations are Unordered

 Order of tuples is irrelevant (tuples may be stored in an arbitrary order)


 Example: instructor relation with unordered tuples

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.5 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Keys
 Let K  R
 K is a superkey of R if values for K are sufficient to identify a unique
tuple of each possible relation r(R)
 Example: {ID} and {ID,name} are both superkeys of instructor.
 Superkey K is a candidate key if K is minimal
Example: {ID} is a candidate key for Instructor
 One of the candidate keys is selected to be the primary key.
 which one?
 Foreign key constraint: Value in one relation must appear in another
 Referencing relation
 Referenced relation
 Example – dept_name in instructor is a foreign key from instructor
referencing department

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.6 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Schema Diagram for University Database

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.7 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
Relational Query Languages
 Procedural vs .non-procedural, or declarative
 “Pure” languages:
 Relational algebra
 Tuple relational calculus
 Domain relational calculus
 The above 3 pure languages are equivalent in computing power
 We will concentrate in this chapter on relational algebra
 Not turning-machine equivalent
 consists of 6 basic operations

Database System Concepts - 6th Edition 2.8 ©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
End of Chapter 2

Database System Concepts, 6th Ed.


©Silberschatz, Korth and Sudarshan
See www.db-book.com for conditions on re-use

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