Data Models

Entity Relationship Data Model

An Entity–relationship model (ER model) describes the structure of a database with the
help of a diagram, which is known as Entity Relationship Diagram (ER Diagram). An ER
model is a design or blueprint of a database that can later be implemented as a
database. The main components of E-R model are: entity set and relationship set.

ER diagram has three main components:

1. Entity
2. Attribute
3. Relationship

Entity
An entity is an object or component of data. An entity is represented as rectangle in an
ER diagram.
For example: In the following ER diagram we have two entities Student and College and
these two entities have many to one relationship as many students study in a single
college. We will read more about relationships later, for now focus on entities.

Attribute
An attribute describes the property of an entity. An attribute is represented as Oval in
an ER diagram.

Relationship
A relationship is represented by diamond shape in ER diagram, it shows the relationship
among entities. There are four types of relationships:
1. One to One
2. One to Many
3. Many to One
4. Many to Many

Semantic Data Model

The semantic data model is a method of structuring data in order to represent it in a
specific logical way. It is a conceptual data model that includes semantic information
that adds a basic meaning to the data and the relationships that lie between them. This
approach to data modeling and data organization allows for the easy development of
application programs and also for the easy maintenance of data consistency when data
is updated.

The semantic data model is a relatively new approach that is based on semantic
principles that result in a data set with inherently specified data structures. Usually,
singular data or a word does not convey any meaning to humans, but paired with a
context this word inherits more meaning.

functional database model

The functional database model is used to support analytics applications such

as financial planning and performance management. The functional database model, or
the functional model for short, is different from but complementary to the relational
model. The functional model is also distinct from other similarly named concepts,
including the DAPLEX functional database model[1] and functional language databases.
The functional model is part of the online analytical processing (OLAP) category since it
comprises multidimensional hierarchical consolidation. But it goes beyond OLAP by
requiring a spreadsheet-like cell orientation, where cells can be input or calculated as
functions of other cells. Also as in spreadsheets, it supports interactive calculations
where the values of all dependent cells are automatically up to date whenever the value
of a cell is changed.

Object-Oriented Database
An object-oriented database is a database that subscribes to a model with information
represented by objects. Object-oriented databases are a niche offering in the relational
database management system (RDBMS) field and are not as successful or well-known as
mainstream database engines. As the name implies, the main feature of object-oriented
databases is allowing the definition of objects, which are different from normal
database objects. Objects, in an object-oriented database, reference the ability to
develop a product, then define and name it. The object can then be referenced, or
called later, as a unit without having to go into its complexities. This is very similar to
objects used in object-oriented programming.