Module 2

Data Modeling
Module Overview

Data Modeling
ANSI-SPARC Database Model
• Entity Relationship Modeling
Lesson 1: Data Modeling

Entity Relationship Modeling

Normalization
• Transaction Path Analysis
Entity Relationship Modeling

• Entity relationship modeling is a method for diagrammatically showing the

entities required for a particular application and the relationships that exist
between them.
• As an example, consider an application that manages training courses. There is
likely to be a need to model the following items:
• Students
• Tutors
• Courses
• Venues
• Course presentations
• These items would be modeled as entities, with each entity containing the
relevant details, or attributes, for that item.
• Additionally, there are relationships that exist between these entities:
• STUDENTS attend COURSES.
• TUTORS present COURSES.
• COURSES are run at VENUES.
• COURSES are run at different PRESENTATIONS.
Entity Relationship Modeling
Normalization

• Normalization
• is a method of sequentially applying rules to a
database design to remove data redundancies, improve
stability, eliminate update anomalies, and improve data
integrity.
• These rules are divided into a series of normal forms.
• The normal forms are applied to a table sequentially;
that is, a table must be in first normal form before you
can apply second normal form, and so on.
Transaction Path Analysis

• You can use transaction path analysis (TPA) to

• Identify entry points
• Define the entry point entity (or entities)
• Define the navigation of a process through a data
model
• Define how the entity occurrences are selected (one whole set, or as a
subset using search criteria)
• Quantify the navigation
• Quantify each access to an entity or relationship by referring to
relevant documentation:
• Relationship (degree of relationship in numbers as mean,
minimum, and maximum—plus optionality expressed as a
percentage of entities involved)
Lesson 2: ANSI-SPARC Database Model

External Level
Conceptual Level
Internal Level
• Database Schemas
ANSI-SPARC Database Model

• The ANSI-SPARC database model is an abstract

model for a DBMS. It stands for American National
Standards Institute, Standards Planning and
Requirements Committee—but is not a formal
standard.
• It consists of three levels, each of which is
associated with a database schema.
External Level

• The external level of the ANSI-SPARC model

defines how the data in a database will be viewed
by different users.
• Each user might need to see different parts of the
data, or to see the data arranged in different ways.
• For example, an employee in the Sales department may
want to see information about customers and their
orders, whilst someone in the Accounts department may
need information about those customers and their
payment history.
• This will be achieved by using views.
• You can also use the external view to restrict
access to data to authorized users.
External Level
Conceptual Level

• The conceptual level of an ANSI-SPARC database model

represents the data requirements for an organization.
• It is important to recognize that:
• The Database Administrator works at and defines this level.
• It describes the user structure and gives a global view of the
database.
• It is independent of hardware and software.
• The conceptual level shows the three fundamental
• building blocks of:
• Entities
• Attributes
• Relationships
• It usually comprises an ERD, entity headings, and any
constraints and/or assumptions.
Conceptual Level
Internal Level

• The internal level of an ANSI-SPARC database model is

used to show how the database is physically represented
in the computer system.
• It describes how the data is actually stored in the database
and on the computer hardware.
• The internal view defines the actual record layouts of each
table in a database. Information from the conceptual view
is used to create the physical files, using SQL commands.
• These physical files will store the data described by the
conceptual views.
Internal Level
Lesson 3: Entity Relationship Modeling

Entities
Attributes and Keys
Relationships
Types of Relationships
• Notations
Entities
Attributes and Keys
Relationships
Types of Relationships
Notations
Lab: Identify Components in Entity Relationship Modeling

Exercise 1: Identify Entities

Exercise 2: Identify Relationships
• Exercise 3: Finalize Your Model

Logon Information
Ensure that the MT17B-WS2016-NAT, 10985C-MIA-
DC, 10985C-MIA-SQL, and 10985C-MIA-CLI virtual
machines are all running, and then log on to 10985C-
MIA-CLI as Student with the password Pa55w.rd.

Estimated Time: 50 minutes

Lab Scenario

You are a Business Analyst with a distance learning

company. You have been tasked with developing a
database to record the information necessary for
administering the courses they offer.
You have been given the following statement of data
requirements:
The company needs to keep details of staff and
students, the courses that are offered, and the
performance of students on these courses.
Students are registered with the company
before commencing their studies, and are
issued with a student identification number.
Lab Scenario (continued)

Students are not required to enroll on any course

when they register. Students’ full names and the
date of their registration are recorded. Staff are also
issued with a staff number, and their full names are
recorded. Each staff member may tutor one or more
students on courses. Each student has a tutor for
each course on which they are enrolled. Students
are allocated a tutor for the course on which they
are enrolled at any time after enrollment.
Lab Scenario (continued)

Each course that is available for study is given a

course code, a title, and a value for credit (either 0.5
or 1.0). Students are not permitted to enroll on
more than three credits worth of courses in any one
year. There is a need to record current enrollments
only.
Courses may have a quota—the maximum number
of students that can be enrolled on the course in
any one year. A course may not (yet) have any
students enrolled on it.
Lab Scenario (continued)

Each course may have up to five assignments that

the students are required to complete. These are
graded by the tutor assigned to the individual
student. The grade for each of these assignments
must be recorded as a mark out of 100.
As a Business Analyst, your task is to model these data
requirements and develop a conceptual model
comprising:
1. An ERD, showing entities and relationships.
 A set of entity descriptions, with suitable attributes.
 A statement of the constraints and assumptions
made.
This lab can be completed as a paper exercise, but you
may want to compare your solutions with the files in the
Lab Review

How do you identify entities?

• What is a relationship?
Module Review and Takeaways

Review Question(s)
Real-world Issues and Scenarios
Tools
Best Practice
• Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips