COMP255

Chapter 5
Advanced Data Modeling

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 Learning Objectives
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Describe the main extended entity relationship (EER) model
constructs and how they are represented in ERDs and EERDs
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Use entity clusters to represent multiple entities and
relationships in an entity relationship diagram (ERD)
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Describe the characteristics of good primary keys and how to
select them
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Apply flexible solutions for special data-modeling cases

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Enhanced Entity Relationship Model
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EERM
– Enhanced Entity Relationship Model
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EERD
– Enhanced Entity Relationship Diagram
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Adding more constructs to the ERM/ERD

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 Supertypes and Subtypes
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Adding a bit of object-oriented concepts
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Entity supertype (parent)
– A generic entity type that contains the common characteristics of
entity subtypes.
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Entity subtype (child)
– A subset of an entity supertype
– The entity supertype contains the common characteristics and the
subtypes contain the unique characteristics

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 When to Use
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There must be different, identifiable kinds of the entity in the user’s
environment
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The different kinds of instances should each have one or more
attributes that are unique to that kind of instance

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 Specialization Hierarchy
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Depicts arrangement of higher-level entity supertypes and
lower-level entity subtypes
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Relationships are described in terms of “is-a” relationships
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Subtype exists within the context of a supertype
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Every subtype has one supertype to which it is directly
related
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Supertype can have many subtypes

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 Allows...
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Support attribute inheritance
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Define a special supertype attribute known as
the subtype discriminator
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Define disjoint or overlapping constraints and
complete or partial constraints

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Example

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 Inheritance
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All entity subtypes inherit their primary key attribute from their
supertype
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At the implementation level, supertype and its subtype(s)
maintain a 1:1 relationship
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Entity subtypes inherit all relationships in which supertype
entity participates
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Lower-level subtypes inherit all attributes and relationships
from its upper-level supertypes

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Example

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 Definitions
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Subtype discriminator
– Attribute in the supertype entity that determines to which entity subtype the
supertype occurrence is related
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Disjoint subtypes
– Each entity instance of the supertype can appear in only one of the
subtypes.
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Overlapping subtypes
– Each entity instance of the supertype may appear in more than one
subtype.

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Example

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 Entity Clustering
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Replace a group of entities with a “virtual” entity

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Clustering in an ERD

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 Completeness Constraint
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Partial completeness
– The condition in which some supertype occurrences
might not be members of any subtype.
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Total completeness
– The condition in which every supertype occurrence
must be a member of at least one subtype.

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Completeness Constraint

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 Primary Key Review
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Primary key
– Single attribute or a combination of attributes
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Uniquely identifies each entity instance
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Guarantees entity integrity
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Works with foreign keys to implement
relationships

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 Natural Keys
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Natural key or natural identifier
– Real-world identifier used to uniquely identify real-world
objects
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Familiar to end users and forms part of their day-to-
day business vocabulary
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Used as the primary key of the entity being modeled

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Primary Key Guidelines

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 Composite Primary Keys
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Composite Key
– Uses more than one attribute
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Use as identifiers of composite entities
– Each primary key combination is allowed once in M:N relationship
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Use as identifiers of weak entities
– Strong identifying relationship with the parent entity
– Represents a real-world object that is existence-dependent on another real-world
object
– Represented in the data model as two separate entities in a strong identifying
relationship

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Composite Entities

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 Surrogate Primary Keys
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Primary key used to simplify the identification of entity
instances
– Useful when there is no natural key
– Helpful if selected candidate key has embedded semantic
contents or is too long
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Require ensuring that the candidate key of entity in
question performs properly
– Use “unique index” and “not null” constraints

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Example

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 Design Pitfalls
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Implementing 1:1 relationships
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Time variant data
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Fan traps
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Redundant relationships

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 1:1 Relationships
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Where to place the foreign key
– Place a foreign key in both entities
– Place a foreign key in one of the entities

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 Time Variant Data
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Data whose values change over time and for which
a history of the data changes must be retained
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Requires creating a new entity in a 1:M relationship
with the original entity
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New entity contains the new value, date of the
change, and any other pertinent attribute

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Example

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 Traps
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Design trap
– Ocurs when a relationship is improperly or incompletely identified
– Represented in a way not consistent with the real world
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Fan trap
– Occurs when one entity is in two 1:M relationships to other entities
– Produces an association among other entities not expressed in the
model

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Fan Trap

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Correct Design

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 Redundant Relationships
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Occur when there are multiple relationship
paths between related entities
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Relationships must remain consistent across
the model
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Removing redundant relationships help simplify
the design

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Example

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