Universal Data Modeling

Chapter 2. Conceptual Data Modelling with Entity Relationship Model

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In Chapter 1, you learned what a conceptual model is and what it is about. Conceptual modeling is the first step in data modeling. Its result product is the conceptual model, a high-level model aimed at communication between business stakeholders and computer professionals. The conceptual model describes what the data is about, without technical details. For example, it defines objects such as “Student”, “Course”, and “Course Registration”, and shows the interactions between them.

You have seen how a conceptual data model was created in the previous chapter. During the conceptual modeling process, the data modelers work to understand the scope of the system, its objectives, and what questions the data needs to answer. The final deliverable provides a clear, organized, and accurate representation of data that supports both business understanding and technical implementation.

The conceptual modeling example in the previous chapter uses a free ...