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Lecture 3

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8 views19 pages

Lecture 3

Uploaded by

Vasudevan Janarthanan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 3

Enhanced Entity Relationship Modeling


Objectives
Limitations of basic concepts of the ER model
and requirements to represent more complex
applications using additional data modeling
concepts.
Most useful additional data modeling concept
of Enhanced ER (EER) model is called
specialization/generalization.
A diagrammatic technique for displaying
specialization/generalization in an EER
diagram using UML.
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Enhanced Entity-Relationship Model
Since 1980s there has been an increase in
emergence of new database applications with
more demanding requirements.

Basic concepts of ER modeling are not


sufficient to represent requirements of newer,
more complex applications.

Response is development of additional


‘semantic’ modeling concepts.
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The Enhanced Entity-Relationship Model

Semantic concepts are incorporated into the


original ER model and called the Enhanced
Entity-Relationship (EER) model.

Examples of additional concept of EER model


is called specialization / generalization.

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Specialization / Generalization
Superclass
– An entity type that includes one or more
distinct subgroupings of its occurrences.

Subclass
– A distinct subgrouping of occurrences of an
entity type.

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Specialization / Generalization
Superclass/subclass relationship is one-
to-one (1:1).
Superclass may contain overlapping or
distinct subclasses.
Not all members of a superclass need be
a member of a subclass.

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Specialization / Generalization
Attribute Inheritance
– An entity in a subclass represents same ‘real
world’ object as in superclass, and may
possess subclass-specific attributes, as well
as those associated with the superclass.

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Specialization / Generalization
Specialization
– Process of maximizing differences between
members of an entity by identifying their
distinguishing characteristics.

Generalization
– Process of minimizing differences between
entities by identifying their common
characteristics.

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AllStaff relation holding details of all staff

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Specialization/generalization of Staff entity
into subclasses representing job roles

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Specialization/generalization of Staff entity into
job roles and contracts of employment

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EER diagram with shared subclass and
subclass with its own subclass

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Constraints on Specialization / Generalization
Two constraints that may apply to a
specialization/generalization:
– participation constraints
– disjoint constraints.

Participation constraint
– Determines whether every member in
superclass must participate as a member of
a subclass.
– May be mandatory or optional.
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Constraints on Specialization / Generalization

Disjoint constraint
– Describes relationship between members of
the subclasses and indicates whether
member of a superclass can be a member of
one, or more than one, subclass.
– May be disjoint or nondisjoint.

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Constraints on Specialization / Generalization
There are four categories of constraints of
specialization and generalization:
– mandatory and disjoint
– optional and disjoint
– mandatory and nondisjoint
– optional and nondisjoint.

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DreamHome worked example - Staff Superclass
with Supervisor and Manager subclasses

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DreamHome worked example - Owner Superclass with
PrivateOwner and BusinessOwner subclasses

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DreamHome worked example - Person superclass
with Staff, PrivateOwner, and Client subclasses

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