Entity-Relationship Modeling

Database technology and entity-relationship (ER) modeling have meanwhile reached the level of an established technology. This book presents the achievements of research in this field in a comprehensive survey. It deals with the entity-relationship model and its extensions with regard to an integrated development and modeling of database applications and, consequently, the specification of structures, behavior and interaction. Apart from research on the ER model and the syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of database modeling the book also presents techniques for the translation of the ER model into classical database models and languages such as relational, hierarchical, and network models and languages, and also into object-oriented models. The book is of interest for all database theoreticians as well as practitioners who are provided with the relevant foundations of database modeling.

1. Introduction.- 2. The Database Design Process.- 3. The Entity-Relationship Model.- 4. Extending the Entity-Relationship Model.- 5. Integrity Constraints.- 6. Operations.- 7. Behavior Modeling.- 8. Applying the Theory.- 9. The Database Design Process in HERM.- 10. The Translation of HERM Schemes.- 11. Open Problems.- References.- List of Figures.