UML vs ERD & Database Design Fundamentals

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on UML, ERD, and the database design process.

Unified Modeling Language (UML)

A standardized set of symbols, shapes, and notations used to model and plan software systems.

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

A diagram that depicts real-world items stored in a database, showing entities, attributes, and the relationships between them.

Entity

Any distinguishable object or concept about which data are stored in a database.

Attribute

A property or characteristic that describes an entity.

Relationship

A connection that defines how two entities are associated with each other.

Class (UML)

A template in UML that defines the attributes and methods of objects within a software system.

Class Diagram

A UML diagram that models the static structure of classes and their relationships.

Object Diagram

A UML diagram that shows instances of classes (objects) and their links at a specific moment in time.

Sequence Diagram

A UML diagram that illustrates object interactions arranged in time sequence, focusing on message flow.

Activity Diagram

A UML diagram that models workflows or business processes through activities and transitions.

Communication Diagram

A UML diagram emphasizing object interactions and the messages exchanged between them.

Cardinality

The numeric measure of how many instances of one entity can be associated with instances of another entity.

Ordinality

Another term for cardinality; specifies the permitted number of relationship instances between entities.

Structured Domain

In ER modeling, a user-defined data type that groups related attributes under a single domain.

Composite Attribute

An attribute that can be subdivided into smaller, meaningful parts (e.g., full name into first and last names).

Entity Relationship Modeling (ERM)

A graphical, high-level database design technique that identifies entities, attributes, and relationships.

Database Design

The collection of processes that plan, develop, implement, and maintain an enterprise data management system.

Logical Database Design

The phase that focuses on data requirements and structure independent of physical storage considerations.

Physical Database Design

The phase that translates the logical model into actual storage structures and access paths on hardware.

Database Development Life Cycle (DDLC)

A sequence of steps—requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing, operation, and evolution—for building databases.

Requirement Analysis (DDLC)

The initial phase that gathers and documents user data needs and system constraints.

Evaluation & Selection (DDLC)

The phase where alternative designs or technologies are compared and the best option is chosen.

Testing & Performance Tuning

The DDLC stage that validates database functionality and optimizes speed and efficiency.

Data Loading

The process of populating a database with the required data after the physical design is complete.

Implementation of Database

The deployment stage where the database becomes operational for end users.

Growth & Change (DDLC)

The ongoing phase that handles database modification, scaling, and maintenance after deployment.