Cheat Sheet: ERD Notation

Handout: A simple guide to reading and using Information Engineering* ERD Notation

The Basics

ERD Cheat Sheet

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What do dashed lines mean?

Identifying / Non-Identifying Relationships (solid vs. dashed lines)
Note: Some modelers prefer to start thinking about primary keys in logical model, however;
strictly speaking, this should be reserved for physical modeling.
Only if your modeling tool requires you to specify the type of relationship should you worry about
it. In this case, set all relationships to non-identifying.

ERD Cheat Sheet

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ERD Notation Styles

*Note: in its pure form, ERD notation places a diamond on each association where cardinality is
described. Most modern implementation of this notation drop the diamond.

ERD Cheat Sheet

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