Database Design Using Entity-Relationship Diagrams

Real database designers don’t just wing it. They plan with ER diagrams…learn how, and make your work indispensable.

(DATABASE-DESIGN.AV1) / ISBN : 978-1-64459-712-5
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About This Course

Enroll in our database design course to transform chaotic data into structured, high-performance systems.

In this course, dive into entity-relationship diagrams (ERD) to model databases like a professional. It covers everything from basic concepts to advanced techniques like Enhanced ER (EER) and reverse engineering. Learn to map ERDs to relational databases, enforce normalization rules, and optimize designs for real-world applications.

Skills You’ll Get

  • Data Modeling with ER Diagrams: Master the fundamentals of entity-relationship modeling to visually represent database structures.
  • Relational Database Mapping: Learn to accurately convert ER diagrams into optimized relational database schemas.
  • Normalization Techniques: Apply 1NF through Boyce-Codd Normal Form to eliminate data redundancy and anomalies.
  • Enhanced Entity-Relationship (EER) Modeling: Develop advanced diagrams with specialization/generalization, categories, and union types.
  • Reverse Engineering of Databases: Acquire techniques to extract ER models from existing relational databases.
  • Database Design Documentation: Create clear, user-friendly specifications and grammars for database implementations.

1

Introduction

  • THE ER MODELS WE CHOSE
  • COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
2

Data, Databases, and the Software Engineering Process

  • INTRODUCTION
  • DATA
  • BUILDING A DATABASE
  • WHAT IS THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PROCESS?
  • ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAMS AND THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING LIFE CYCLE
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
3

Data and Data Models

  • INTRODUCTION
  • FILES, RECORDS, AND DATA ITEMS
  • MOVING FROM 3 × 5 CARDS TO COMPUTERS
  • DATABASE MODELS
  • THE NETWORK MODEL
  • THE RELATIONAL MODEL
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
4

The Relational Model and Functional Dependencies

  • INTRODUCTION
  • FUNDAMENTALS OF RELATIONAL DATABASE
  • RELATIONAL DATABASE AND SETS
  • FUNCTIONAL DEPENDENCY
  • NON-1NF TO 1NF
  • THE SECOND NORMAL FORM
  • THE THIRD NORMAL FORM
  • THE EQUIJOIN OPERATION
  • SOME FUNCTIONAL DEPENDENCY RULES
  • THE BOYCE–CODD NORMAL FORM
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
5

The Basic ER Diagram: A Data Modeling Schema

  • INTRODUCTION
  • WHAT IS A DATA MODELING SCHEMA?
  • DEFINING A DATABASE—SOME DEFINITIONS: ENTITY, RELATIONSHIP, AND ATTRIBUTE
  • A FIRST “ENTITY-ONLY” ER DIAGRAM: AN ENTITY WITH ATTRIBUTES
  • MORE ABOUT ATTRIBUTES
  • ENGLISH DESCRIPTION OF THE ENTITY
  • MAPPING THE ENTITY DIAGRAM TO A RELATIONAL DATABASE
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
6

Beyond the First Entity Diagram

  • INTRODUCTION
  • EXAMINING AN ENTITY: CHANGING AN ATTRIBUTE TO BE AN ENTITY
  • DEFINING A RELATIONSHIP FOR OUR NEW ENTITY
  • A PRELIMINARY GRAMMAR FOR ER DIAGRAMS
  • DEFINING A SECOND ENTITY
  • DOES A RELATIONSHIP EXIST?
  • ATTRIBUTE OR RELATIONSHIP?
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
7

Extending Relationships/Structural Constraints

  • INTRODUCTION
  • THE CARDINALITY RATIO OF A RELATIONSHIP
  • PARTICIPATION: FULL/PARTIAL
  • ENGLISH DESCRIPTIONS
  • TIGHTER ENGLISH
  • SOME EXAMPLES OF OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
  • ONE FINAL EXAMPLE
  • MAPPING RELATIONSHIPS TO A RELATIONAL DATABASE
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
8

The Weak Entity

  • INTRODUCTION
  • STRONG AND WEAK ENTITIES
  • WEAK ENTITIES AND STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS
  • WEAK ENTITIES AND THE IDENTIFYING OWNER
  • WEAK ENTITIES CONNECTED TO OTHER WEAK ENTITIES
  • REVISITING THE METHODOLOGY
  • WEAK ENTITY GRAMMAR
  • MAPPING WEAK ENTITIES TO A RELATIONAL DATABASE
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
9

Further Extensions for ER Diagrams with Binary Relationships

  • INTRODUCTION
  • ATTRIBUTES OF RELATIONSHIPS
  • RELATIONSHIPS DEVELOPING INTO ENTITIES: THE M:N RELATIONSHIP REVISITED
  • MORE ENTITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS
  • MORE EVOLUTION OF THE DATABASE
  • ATTRIBUTES THAT EVOLVE INTO ENTITIES
  • RECURSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
  • MULTIPLE RELATIONSHIPS
  • THE DERIVED OR REDUNDANT RELATIONSHIP
  • OPTIONAL: AN ALTERNATIVE ER NOTATION FOR SPECIFYING STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS ON RELATIONSHIPS
  • REVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY
  • MAPPING RULES FOR RECURSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
10

Ternary and Higher-Order ER Diagrams

  • INTRODUCTION
  • BINARY OR TERNARY RELATIONSHIP?
  • STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS FOR TERNARY RELATIONSHIPS
  • AN EXAMPLE OF AN N-ARY RELATIONSHIP
  • N-ARY RELATIONSHIPS DO NOT PRECLUDE BINARY RELATIONSHIPS
  • METHODOLOGY AND GRAMMAR FOR THE N-ARY RELATIONSHIP
  • TERNARY RELATIONSHIPS FROM RELATIONSHIP-RELATIONSHIP SITUATIONS
  • N-ARY RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAY BE RESOLVED INTO BINARY RELATIONSHIPS
  • MAPPING N-ARY RELATIONSHIPS TO A RELATIONAL DATABASE
  • REVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
11

The Enhanced Entity-Relationship (EER) Model

  • INTRODUCTION
  • WHAT IS A GENERALIZATION OR SPECIALIZATION?
  • VARIANTS
  • EXAMPLES OF GENERALIZATIONS OR SPECIALIZATIONS
  • METHODOLOGY AND GRAMMAR FOR GENERALIZATION/SPECIALIZATION RELATIONSHIPS
  • MAPPING RULES FOR GENERALIZATIONS AND SPECIALIZATIONS
  • SUBCLASSES OF SUBCLASSES
  • CATEGORIES OR UNION TYPES
  • FINAL ER DESIGN METHODOLOGY
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • CASE STUDY
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
12

Relational Mapping and Reverse Engineering ER/EER Diagrams

  • INTRODUCTION
  • STEPS USED TO MAP ER/EER DIAGRAMS TO RELATIONAL DATABASES
  • REVERSE ENGINEERING
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
13

A Brief Overview of the Barker/Oracle-Like Model

  • INTRODUCTION
  • A FIRST “ENTITY-ONLY” ER DIAGRAM: AN ENTITY WITH ATTRIBUTES
  • ATTRIBUTES IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • DEALING WITH THE CONCEPT OF THE WEAK ENTITY IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • DEALING WITH THE CONCEPT OF MULTIVALUED ATTRIBUTES IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • RECURSIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BARKER/ORACLE-LIKE MODEL
  • MAPPING M:N RELATIONSHIPS
  • LESSON SUMMARY
  • EXERCISES
  • BIBLIOGRAPHY
14

Glossary

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Take this entity relationship diagram course for database designers to learn step-by-step:

  • Identify entities (tables), attributes (columns), and relationships (connections).
  • Define primary keys and cardinality (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many).
  • Use tools like Lucidchart, draw.io, or ERDPlus for visualization.

Our database design course discusses these key points:

  • Advantages: Easy to understand, visualizes data structure, improves communication.
  • Disadvantages: Limited for complex constraints, not ideal for NoSQL databases.

No. A flowchart shows processes, while an ER diagram maps database structure (entities, relationships). Take our ER diagram course to learn database modeling to master the difference.

When you learn database modeling, follow this approach:

  • Start with entities (e.g., "Customer," "Order").
  • Show relationships (e.g., "A Customer places an Order").
  • Highlight key constraints (e.g., "One customer can have many orders").

In entity relationship model training, you’ll use:

  • Free tools: draw.io, ERDPlus, MySQL Workbench.
  • Profsssional tools: Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, IBM Data Architect.

Database Design, Simplified

  Master database modeling, eliminate inefficiencies, and get hired because every business needs someone who can turn data chaos into order. 

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