Editor for Entity Relationship Diagrams
The diagram editor for entity relationship diagrams can be used for modeling entities and relationships, as well as views of the semantic data model.
Purpose
You can use the ER diagram to model a submodel of the conceptual schema. Entities are shown as nodes and relationships are shown as edges.
Innovator supports the following diagram notations:
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Chen
Notation in accordance with Peter Pin-Shan Chen with (min,max) cardinalities
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DSA
Notation in accordance to data structure analysis
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James Martin
Notation in accordance with James Martin, Bachmann and Odell (also know as "crow's foot" notation)
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SERM
Notation in accordance with structured entity relationship modeling from Prof. Dr. Elmar J. Sinz
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UML
Notation in accordance with Unified Modeling Language
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IDEF1X
Notation in accordance with IDEF1X standard (U.S. authority standards FIPS 184)
The main difference between these notations is how they display relationships, whose cardinalities are illustrated with various different graphic icons or formal texts in different places.
SERM notation always arranges entities in a sort of hierarchy from left to right. This results in permissible areas for creating and moving entities; these are highlighted in green for relevant actions.
The edge display in SERM diagrams can take place in the modern (standard) method, classically as per Prof. Sinz or in accordance with James Martin notation.
Attention
SERM notation changes how nodes are arranged in the diagram if they were not previously set out in a SERM-compliant way.
Opening the diagram as read-only temporarily changes the layout to comply with SERM but does not save it.
Views can also be displayed as nodes and their From clauses as edges in entity relationship diagrams
Supported ER Diagrams Processes
Theoretical Basics
Diagrams in Innovator
Control Elements
Related Topics
