Connection Traps

Some problems
• Misinterpretation
• Fan traps
• Chasm trap
 Misinterpretation

Lecturer Students
teaches
The relationship should be
Students

study

Lecturer teach Subject

 Fan Trap
Division has Employee

has

Department
 Solution

Division

has

Department has Employee

 Chasm trap
If there are some employee do not work for the
Department
They work directly in Division
Division

has

has
Department Employee
 Chasm trap solutions
• Create the dummy department in the
implementation
or
• Add the third relationship linking
employee to the division
 Create the dummy department
in the implementation
• We create the department that means no
department
 Add the third relationship
linking employee to the division
Division Division-
Employe
e

division-
depart

Department dept- Employee

employe
e
 Add the third relationship
linking employee to the division
Division Division-
Employe
e

division-
depart

Department dept- Employee

employe
e
 Further Fan Trap

M N
Supplier M N Part Customer
Sup Part-
p- Cust
Part ome
r
The situation can not be resolved by adding
the relationship

Supplier Part
Supp-Part

Part-Cust

Customer
Supp
-Cust
The possible solution is three
entity type relationship
Part

Supplier Customer
Supp-
Part-
Custome
r
 Decomposition of Complex
Relationships
• We have more than 2 entities in one
relationship
 Part

P
C
M
1 1
Cont
Supplier S ract C Customer
C C