Constraints on ER Model in DBMS



Constraints are used for modeling limitations on the relations between entities.

There are two types of constraints on the Entity Relationship (ER) model −

  • Mapping cardinality or cardinality ratio.

  • Participation constraints.

Mapping Cardinality

It is expressed as the number of entities to which another entity can be associated via a relationship set.

For the binary relationship set there are entity set A and B then the mapping cardinality can be one of the following −

  • One-to-one

  • One-to-many

  • Many-to-one

  • Many-to-many

One-to-one relationship

An entity set A is associated with at most one entity in B and an entity in B is associated with at most one entity in A.

One-to-many relationship

An entity set A is associated with any number of entities in B with a possibility of zero and an entity in B is associated with at most one entity in A.

Many-to-one relationship

An entity set A is associated with at most one entity in B and an entity set in B can be associated with any number of entities in A with a possibility of zero.

Many-to-many relationship

An entity set A is associated with any number of entities in B with a possibility of zero and an entity in B is associated with any number of entities in A with a possibility of zero.

Participation Constraints

Participate constraints are two types as mentioned below −

  • Total participation

  • Partial Participation

The participation constraints are explained in the diagram below −

Here, the customer to Loan is partial participation and the loan to the customer is total participation.

Total participation

The participation of an entity set E in a relationship set R is said to be total if every entity in E Participates in at least one relationship in R.

For Example − Participation of loan in the relationship borrower is total participation.

Partial Participation

If only some of the entities in E participate in relationship R, then the participation of E in R is said to be partial participation.

For example − Participation of customers in the relationship borrower is partial participation.

Updated on: 2021-07-03T12:50:28+05:30

29K+ Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started
Advertisements