Consistent Design of Relational Databases using EERCASE

Edson Alves, Robson N. Fidalgo

Abstract

This article introduces EERCASE, a Computer Aided Software Engineering tool that is based on the best practices of the Model Driven Development paradigm to provide a consistent environment for relational database design. EERCASE follows the graphical notation of the Enhanced Entity–Relationship model according to Elmasri and Navathe, implements the EERMM metamodel to avoid syntactically invalid constructs, shows and describes static semantic errors, and generates data definition code that takes into account advanced structural validations. The theoretical and technical framework used for the implementation of EERCASE is discussed, with emphasis on the restrictive and informative validations performed by it. In addition, considering feedbacks on modeling errors and code generation, EERCASE is also presented as a computational environment that favors active learning.

N. Fidalgo, R., & A. Silva, E. (2022). Consistent Design of Relational Databases using EERCASE. Journal of Information and Data Management, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.5753/jidm.2022.2537  

EERCASE: Uma Ferramenta Robusta para Projeto Conceitual de Banco de Dados

Edson Alves, Robson N. Fidalgo

Resumo

Considerando a pluralidade de notações Enhanced Entity-Relationship (EER) e a carência de ferramentas robustas, este artigo apresenta a ferramenta EERCASE. Construída com base nas melhores práticas do paradigma Model Driven Development (MDD), EERCASE é capaz de impedir construções sintaticamente inválidas, indicar e explicar os erros de semântica estática e gerar código de definição de dados impondo restrições não triviais. EERCASE tem sido usada para apoiar o ensino e a prática de projeto EER e oferece recursos não disponibilizados por outras ferramentas.

In: DEMONSTRAÇÕES E APLICAÇÕES - SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO DE BANCO DE DADOS (SBBD), 36, 2021 . p. 87-92.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbbd_estendido.2021.18168. 

EERCASE: Uma Ferramenta para Apoiar o Estudo do Projeto Conceitual de Banco de Dados

Edson Alves, Natália M. Franco, Antônio Nascimento, Robson N. Fidalgo

Resumo

Dada a relevância do projeto conceitual de Banco de Dados e da ampla utilização do modelo Enhanced Entity–Relationship (EER), é importante que o aluno construa uma sólida competência sobre os conceitos, técnicas e ferramentas deste domínio. Contudo, nota-se uma carência de ferramentas CASE direcionados ao estudo do modelo EER. Com esta motivação, este artigo apresenta a ferramenta EERCASE como um instrumento pedagógico para auxiliar o ensino do modelo EER. Como diferenciais, a EERCASE apresenta a cobertura de 100% dos construtores do EER e o fornecimento de feedbacks, facilitando a resolução de problemas, reflexão dos resultados e consolidação do conhecimento adquirido.

Texto completo:PDF in Anais dos Workshops do Congresso Brasileiro de Informática na Educação, VOL 3 (2014)

METAMODELING THE ENHANCED ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP MODEL

Robson N. Fidalgo, Edson Alves, Sergio España, Jaelson Castro, Oscar Pastor

ABSTRACT

A metamodel provides an abstract syntax to distinguish between valid and invalid models. That is, a metamodel is as useful for a modeling language as a grammar is for a programming language. In this context, although the Enhanced Entity-Relationship (EER) Model is the “de facto” standard modeling language for database conceptual design, to the best of our knowledge, there are only two proposals of EER metamodels, which do not provide a full support to Chen’s notation. Furthermore, neither a discussion about the engineering used for specifying these metamodels is presented nor a comparative analysis among them is made. With the aim at overcoming these drawbacks, we show a detailed and practical view of how to formalize the EER Model by means of a metamodel that (i) covers all elements of the Chen’s notation, (ii) defines well-formedness rules needed for creating syntactically correct EER schemas, and (iii) can be used as a starting point to create Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools for EER modeling, interchange metadata among these tools, perform automatic SQL/DDL code generation, and/or extend (or reuse part of) the EER Model. In order to show the feasibility, expressiveness, and usefulness of our metamodel (named EERMM), we have developed a CASE tool (named EERCASE), which has been tested with a practical example that covers all EER constructors, confirming that our metamodel is feasible, useful, more expressive than related ones and correctly defined. Moreover, we analyze our work against the related ones and present our final remarks.

Full Text: PDF in JOURNAL OF INFORMATION AND DATA MANAGEMENT, VOL 4, NO 3 (2013)

EERMM: A Metamodel for the Enhanced Entity-Relationship Model

Robson Do Nascimento Fidalgo, Elvis Maranhão De Souza, Sergio España, Jaelson Brelaz De Castro, Oscar Pastor

Abstract

A metamodel describes the elements of a model, the relationships between them, and the structuring rules that constraint the model elements and the way they are arranged/related in order to respect the domain rules. That is, a metamodel provides an abstract syntax to distinguish between valid and invalid models. Although the Enhanced Entity-Relationship (EER) model has been extensively researched, and various extensions and enhancements have been proposed, to the best of our knowledge, a metamodel for the EER model, based on the classical notation of Chen, has not been proposed yet. That is, we have found no evidence of a metamodel that gives a precise and expressive definition of constructors and constructions needed to create, interchange or transform valid EER models. With aim of overcoming these shortcoming, in this paper we propose an expressive metamodel for EER modeling, named EER MetaModel (EERMM), which provides a novel perspective for scientific researches and industrial applications that need an EER metamodel as a starting point. As a proof of concept, we have implemented a CASE tool (EERCASE) according to our metamodel and, by exploiting this tool, we have designed an EER schema that makes use of all constructors of the EER model.

Download: Link  in Conceptual Modeling, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 7532, 2012, pp 515-524.