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Chapter 12

The document discusses enhancements to the Entity-Relationship (ER) model, including specialization/generalization, aggregation, and composition. It provides examples of each concept and how they can be represented in an enhanced ER (EER) diagram. Specialization/generalization allows entities to be organized into subclasses and superclasses, with attributes inherited. Aggregation represents a "has-a" relationship where one entity is a part of another. Composition is a stronger form where the part has coincidental lifetime with the whole. The document includes examples of applying these concepts to a DreamHome case study.

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40 views24 pages

Chapter 12

The document discusses enhancements to the Entity-Relationship (ER) model, including specialization/generalization, aggregation, and composition. It provides examples of each concept and how they can be represented in an enhanced ER (EER) diagram. Specialization/generalization allows entities to be organized into subclasses and superclasses, with attributes inherited. Aggregation represents a "has-a" relationship where one entity is a part of another. Composition is a stronger form where the part has coincidental lifetime with the whole. The document includes examples of applying these concepts to a DreamHome case study.

Uploaded by

arunkorath
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture Twelve

Enhanced Entity-Relationship
Modelling

Based on Chapter Twelve of this book:

Database Systems: A Practical Approach


to Design, Implementation and
Management

International Computer Science S. 

Carolyn Begg, Thomas Connolly


1
Lecture 12 - 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 concepts


of Enhanced ER (EER) model called:
– specialization/generalization
– aggregation
– composition.

2
Lecture 12 - Objectives
 A diagrammatic technique for displaying
specialization/generalization, aggregation, and
composition in an EER diagram using UML.

3
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.

4
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 concepts of EER model


are:
– specialization / generalization
– aggregation
– composition.

5
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.

6
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.

7
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.

8
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.

9
AllStaff relation holding details of all staff

10
Specialization/generalization of Staff entity
into subclasses representing job roles

11
Specialization/generalization of Staff entity into
job roles and contracts of employment

12
EER diagram with shared subclass and
subclass with its own subclass

13
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.

14
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.

15
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.

16
DreamHome worked example - Staff Superclass with
Supervisor and Manager subclasses

17
DreamHome worked example - Owner Superclass with
PrivateOwner and BusinessOwner subclasses

18
DreamHome worked example - Person superclass with
Staff, PrivateOwner, and Client subclasses

19
EER diagram of Branch view of DreamHome with
specialization/generalization

20
Aggregation
 Represents a ‘has-a’ or ‘is-part-of’ relationship
between entity types, where one represents the
‘whole’ and the other ‘the part’.

21
Examples of Aggregation

22
Composition
 Specific form of aggregation that represents an
association between entities, where there is a
strong ownership and coincidental lifetime
between the ‘whole’ and the ‘part’.

23
Example of Composition

24

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