Explain the component modules of DBMS & their interactions with diagram
Answer:-
In the Entity-Relationship (ER) model, attributes describe the properties or characteristics of entities or relationships. There are several types of attributes based on their nature and structure.
Types of Attributes in ER Model
1. Simple (Atomic) Attribute
- Cannot be divided further.
- Represent a single value.
- Example:
Name
,Age
,Salary
2. Composite Attribute
- Can be divided into smaller sub-parts.
- Sub-parts are meaningful on their own.
- Example:
FullName
→ can be split intoFirstName
,LastName
Address
→ can be split intoStreet
,City
,Zip
3. Derived Attribute
- Not stored in the database directly.
- Can be calculated from other attributes.
- Example:
Age
can be derived fromDateOfBirth
TotalPrice
fromQuantity × UnitPrice
4. Multi-Valued Attribute
- Can have multiple values for a single entity.
- Usually shown as double ovals in ER diagrams.
- Example:
A person may have multiplePhoneNumbers
orEmailAddresses
.
5. Key Attribute
- Used to uniquely identify an entity.
- It is part of the primary key.
- Example:
RollNo
for a student,EmployeeID
for an employee
6. Single-Valued Attribute
- Holds only one value for a given entity.
- Example:
DateOfBirth
,Gender
✅ Summary Table
Attribute Type | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Simple (Atomic) | Cannot be divided | Name, Age |
Composite | Can be divided into sub-parts | Address → City, Zip |
Derived | Calculated from other attributes | Age from DateOfBirth |
Multi-Valued | Has multiple values for one entity | PhoneNumbers |
Key | Uniquely identifies an entity | EmployeeID |
Single-Valued | Holds only one value per entity | Gender |