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ERD Complete Notes

An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) visually represents the structure of a database, illustrating how entities relate to each other and their attributes. Key symbols include rectangles for entities, ellipses for attributes, and diamonds for relationships, with specific meanings assigned to each. The document also provides guidelines for identifying entities and creating associations, along with examples from various domains and references for further reading.

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29 views6 pages

ERD Complete Notes

An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) visually represents the structure of a database, illustrating how entities relate to each other and their attributes. Key symbols include rectangles for entities, ellipses for attributes, and diamonds for relationships, with specific meanings assigned to each. The document also provides guidelines for identifying entities and creating associations, along with examples from various domains and references for further reading.

Uploaded by

Àlí Göhár
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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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Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) -

Complete Notes
An Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is a visual representation of the structure of a database. It
shows how entities (tables) relate to each other, the attributes they contain, and how they are
associated.

Basic ERD Symbols


Symbol Name Meaning

Rectangle Entity Real-world object or concept


(e.g., Student, Doctor)

Ellipse Attribute Properties of an entity (e.g.,


Name, Age)

Underlined Ellipse Primary Key Unique identifier (e.g.,


Student_ID)

Diamond Relationship Association between entities


(e.g., Enrolls)

Line Line Connects attributes to


entities and relationships

Double Rectangle Weak Entity Depends on another entity,


no primary key alone

Double Diamond Identifying Relationship Links weak entity with its


owner

Double Ellipse Multivalued Attribute Multiple values (e.g., Phone


Numbers)

Dashed Ellipse Derived Attribute Derived from other attributes


(e.g., Age from DOB)

How to Identify Entities


 Look for nouns: Entities are usually nouns (Person, Product, Department).
 Real-world objects: Trackable objects in the system (Customer, Order).
 Must have multiple instances: Data that repeats (e.g., many Students).
 Must hold data: Entities should store useful information.
 Avoid actions: Verbs like 'Enroll' or 'Buy' are not entities—they are relationships.

Simple Rules for Creating Associations


 Identify the verb: Use the action between two entities to define the relationship.
 Use bridge entities for many-to-many relationships (e.g., Student ⇔ Course → Enrollment).
 Check participation: Use double lines for total, single for partial participation.
 Add cardinality: 1:1, 1:N, or N:M.

ERD Examples from Different Domains

📌 Agriculture Management System


📌 E-Commerce System

📌 Library Management System


📌 Real Estate Syste
Summary
Concept Description

Entity Real-world object like Student, Product

Attribute Properties like Name, Age


Relationship How entities are connected

Cardinality 1:1, 1:N, M:N

Primary Key Unique identifier

Weak Entity Depends on another entity

ERD Tools dbdiagram.io, Lucidchart, Draw.io

References
 Elmasri, R., & Navathe, S. B. (2017). Fundamentals of Database Systems (7th ed.). Pearson.
 Silberschatz, A., Korth, H. F., & Sudarshan, S. (2019). Database System Concepts (7th ed.).
McGraw-Hill.
 TutorialsPoint: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/dbms/dbms_er_diagrams.htm
 Lucidchart ERD Guide: https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/er-diagram-symbols-and-
meaning
 ERD Tools: https://dbdiagram.io, https://draw.io

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