CT004-3.

5-3
Advanced Database Systems

Advanced Data Modeling

 Topic & Structure of Lesson

• The relevance of data modelling to the relational model

• Problems with ER Models
• Developing Enhanced Entity Relationship Modelling
• Specialization/generalization hierarchies

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 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Explain the relevance of data modelling to the

relational model
• Explain and develop enhanced Entity Relationship
Modelling
• Describe specialization/generalization hierarchies

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 ER Modelling

• ER Modelling is a very effective tool for standard relational DB tasks

• Provides semantic information but not always sufficient

• Less adapted for more complex semantics

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 The Database Design Process

Requirements Definition

Data Analysis

Conceptual data model

Logical data model

Physical Design

Database

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 Problems with ER Models

• Problems may arise when designing a conceptual

data model called connection traps.
• Often due to a misinterpretation of the meaning of
certain relationships.
• Two main types of connection traps are called fan
traps and chasm traps.

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 Problems with ER Models

• Fan Trap
- Where a model represents a relationship between entity types, but
pathway between certain entity occurrences is ambiguous.

• Chasm Trap
- Where a model suggests the existence of a relationship between entity
types, but pathway does not exist between certain entity occurrences.

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 An Example of a Fan Trap

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 Semantic Net of ER Model with Fan Trap

• At which branch office does staff number SG37

work?

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 Restructuring ER model to remove Fan
Trap

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 Semantic Net of Restructured ER Model with Fan Trap
Removed

• SG37 works at branch B003.

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 An Example of a Chasm Trap

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 Semantic Net of ER Model with Chasm
Trap

• At which branch office is property PA14 available?

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 ER Model restructured to remove Chasm
Trap

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 Semantic Net of Restructured ER Model with Chasm Trap
Removed

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 The Extended Entity Relationship Model
• Result of adding more semantic constructs to original entity relationship (ER) model

• Diagram using this model is called an EER diagram (EERD)

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 Entity Supertypes and Subtypes
• Entity supertype
– Generic entity type that is related to one or more entity subtypes
– Contains common characteristics
• Entity subtypes
– Contains unique characteristics of each entity subtype

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 Entity Supertypes and Subtypes (continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 •Specialization Hierarchy
Depicts arrangement of higher-level entity supertypes (parent entities)
and lower-level entity subtypes (child entities)
• Relationships sometimes described in terms of “IS-A” relationships
• Subtype can exist only within context of supertype and every subtype
can have only one supertype to which it is directly related
• Can have many levels of supertype/subtype relationships

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 Specialization Hierarchy
(continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 Specialization Hierarchy (continued)

• Support attribute inheritance

• Define special supertype attribute known as subtype
discriminator
• Define disjoint/overlapping constraints and complete/partial
constraints

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 Inheritance
• Enables entity subtype to inherit attributes and relationships of
supertype
• All entity subtypes inherit their primary key attribute from their
supertype
• At implementation level, supertype and its subtype(s) depicted in
specialization hierarchy maintain a 1:1 relationship

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 Inheritance (continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 Subtype Discriminator

• The attribute in supertype entity that determines to which entity subtype

each supertype occurrence is related
• The default comparison condition for subtype discriminator attribute is
equality comparison

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 •Disjoint
Disjoint and Overlapping Constraints
subtypes
– Also known as non-overlapping subtypes
– Subtypes that contain unique subset of supertype entity set
• Overlapping subtypes
– Subtypes that contain nonunique subsets of supertype entity set

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 Disjoint and Overlapping
Constraints (continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 Disjoint and Overlapping
Constraints (continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 Completeness Constraint

• Specifies whether each entity supertype occurrence must also be member of at least one
subtype
• Can be partial or total

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 Completeness Constraint
(continued)

Database Systems: Design, Implementation, & Management, 7 th Edition, Rob & Coronel
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 Specialization and Generalization

• Specialization
– Top-down process of identifying lower-level, more specific entity subtypes from higher-level entity
supertype
– Based on grouping unique characteristics and relationships of the subtypes

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 Specialization and Generalization
(continued)

• Generalization
– Bottom-up process of identifying higher-level, more generic entity supertype from lower-level entity
subtypes
– Based on grouping common characteristics and relationships of the subtypes

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