1What is a data model?
A relatively simple, usually graphical representation of complex real-world data structures
2What is the purpose of data models?
To facilitate interaction among designers, programmers, and end users, and organize data for various users
3What are the major historical evolutions of data models?
Hierarchical, Network, Relational, and Entity-Relationship models
4What is an entity in a data model?
Anything about which data are collected and stored, typically mapping to a table
5What is an attribute in a data model?
A characteristic of an entity, usually mapping to a column
6What is a relationship in a data model?
An association among entities
7What are the three main relationship types?
One-to-many (1:M), Many-to-many (M:N or M:M), and One-to-one (1:1)
8What is a constraint in a data model?
A restriction placed on the data
9What are business rules?
Brief, precise, unambiguous descriptions of policies, procedures, or principles within an organization
10What characteristics must business rules have?
They must be written, up to date, easy to understand, and widely disseminated
11Where do business rules typically come from?
Managers, policy makers, department managers, documentation, and interviews with end users
12How are business rules translated into a data model?
Nouns become entities, verbs become relationships, and relationships are bi-directional