Info Tech Guide

In an effective system, data is divided into discrete categories or entities. An Entity Relationship (ER) Model is an illustration of various entities in a business and the relationships between them. An ER model is derived from business specifications or narratives and built during the analysis phase of the system development life cycle.

ER models separate the information required by a business from the activities performed within a business. Although businesses can change their activities, the type of information tends to remain constant. Therefore, the data structures also tend to be constant.

Data- Every organization has some information needs. A library keeps a list of members, books, due dates, and fines. A company needs to save information about employees, departments, and salaries. These pieces of information are called data.

Database- An organized collection of information.

Database Management Systems- A program that stores, retrieves, and modifies data in the database on request. There are four main types of databases: hierarchical, network, relational, and more recently object relational.

Microsoft Access Database- A collection of data and objects, such as tables, queries, or forms, related to a particular topic or purpose.