ERD Symbols and Meanings

Crow's foot notation is used in Barker's Notation, Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) and information engineering. Crow's foot diagrams represent entities as boxes, and relationships as lines between the boxes. Different shapes at the ends of these lines represent the cardinality of the relationship.
The Chen's ERD notation is still used and is considered to present a more detailed way of representing entities and relationships.
To create an ERD, software engineers mainly turn to dedicated drawing software, which contain the full notation resources for their specific database design - ERD symbols and meanings. CS Odessa has released an all-inclusive Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution for their powerful drawing program, ConceptDraw DIAGRAM.

How to Build an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

Entity Relationship Diagram Symbols

Creating an entity-relationship (ER) model is to visually represent the structure of a business database, where data equates to entities (or objects) that are linked by defined relationships expressing dependencies and requirements. By nature it is an abstract visualization, the first step in the design process towards creating a logical and functional database.
ERD symbols used for professional ERD drawing are collected in libraries from the Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM.

ER Diagram Styles

When creating ER diagrams, you can apply different color ER diagram styles and also notation styles. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM enhanced with Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) Solution gives the ability to draw visual and attractive ER Diagrams using the style icons from Crow’s Foot notation and Chen's notation professionally designed and offered by ERD Chen's Notation and ERD Crow’s Foot Notation libraries.

Components of ER Diagram

ConceptDraw gives the ability to draw ER diagram (ERD) for visual describing database using the entity relationship symbols, work flow shapes, entity relationship stencils. Entity-Relationship model making possibility to describe a database using the components of ER Diagram in which in the tables data can be the point to data in other tables - for instance, your entry in the database could point to several entries.

Entity Relationship Diagram Software Engineering

Entity Relationship Diagram (aka ERD, ER Diagram, E-R Diagram) is a well-tried software engineering tool for data modeling, system design and illustrating the logical structure of databases.
Professional ERD drawing is an essential software engineering method for database modeling. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM as a powerful Entity Relationship Diagram Software Engineering offers the tools of Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution from Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

ER Diagram Tool

Creating of Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) is a complex process that requires convenient, automated tools. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software offers a powerful ER Diagram Tool - the Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) Solution from the Software Development Area.

UML Class Diagram Notation

When it comes to system construction, a class diagram is the most widely used diagram. UML Class Diagrams is a type of static structure diagram that is used for general conceptual modeling of the systematics of the application. Such a diagram would illustrate the object-oriented view of a system. The object orientation of a system is indicated by a class diagram. It describes the structure of a system by showing the general issues,classes of a system, attributes, operations, interfaces, inheritance, and the relationships between them.

ConceptDraw DIAGRAM ER Diagram Tool

ER-diagram is a tool used for database modeling which allows to determine data and relationships among the data. These diagrams help to detail data storages and to document all the properties of designed system. ER-diagram contains entities, attributes of the entities and the relationships between them. Chen’s notation and Crow’s foot notation are commonly used to represent elements in ER-model. To create such diagram you should use specific software, such as Entity-Relationship Diagram solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM.
ConceptDraw ER Diagram Tool works across any platform, meaning you never have to worry about compatibility again. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM allows you to make Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) on PC or macOS operating systems.

ERD Symbols and Meanings

"Crow's Foot notation is used in Barker's Notation, SSADM and Information Engineering. Crow's Foot diagrams represent entities as boxes, and relationships as lines between the boxes. Different shapes at the ends of these lines represent the cardinality of the relationship." [Entity–relationship model. Wikipedia]
The vector stencils library ERD, crow's foot notation contains 18 symbols for creating the ER-diagrams using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming nd vector drawing software.
The example"Design elements - ERD solution (crow's foot notation)" is included in the Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution from the Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Crow's foot ERD

Used Solutions

AREA_SOFTWARE_DEVELOPMENT >

Crow’s Foot Notation

UML Timing Diagram, Design Elements

UML Timing Diagram as special form of a sequence diagram are used to explore the behaviors of objects throughout a given period of time.
ConceptDraw has 393 vector stencils in the 13 libraries that helps you to start using software for designing your own UML Diagrams. You can use the appropriate stencils of UML notation from UML Timing library.

JSD - Jackson system development

Jackson System Development (JSD) is a linear method of system development created by Michael A. Jackson and John Cameron in the 1980s. It comprises the whole software life cycle directly or providing a framework for more specialized techniques.
When implementing the Jackson System Development method and designing JSD diagrams, you can succesfully use the powerful and helpful tools of ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software extended with Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution from the Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method. SSADM with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM

Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) was developed in the UK in the early 1980s and accepted in 1993 in order to analyze and project the information systems. Use the data flow diagrams (DFD) for describing the informational, functional and event-trigger models, the Logical Data Structure (LDS) diagrams for describing which data the system operates with and Entity Life History (ELH) diagrams for modelling events that happened in the system and find it simple to make any of these or other diagrams with help of our software. Starting now, you’ll definitely make a better chart tomorrow, so why not to do it now, at this very moment? Once you get used to ConceptDraw DIAGRAM , you’ll find our product to be the most smart version of any existing applications and you’ll recommend it to all those who you care for to simplify their work and their lives.

What Is a Line Chart

What Is a Line Chart? A line chart is a basic type of chart represented by a series of data points connected with a straight line. Explaining the meaning of “What is a line chart?” is convenient to use illustrations with professional looking line charts designed in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Line Graphs solution from the Graphs and Charts area.

Diagramming Software for Design UML Timing Diagrams

UML Timing Diagram as special form of a sequence diagram are used to explore the behaviors of objects throughout a given period of time.

Yourdon and Coad Diagram

The vector stencils library Yourdon and Coad Notation from the solution OOAD contains specific symbols of the Yourdon and Coad notation such as data store symbol, data process symbol, loop symbol for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software. The OOAD solution is contained in the Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

UML Diagram Types List

Two types of diagrams are used in UML: Structure Diagrams and Behavior Diagrams. Behavior Diagrams represent the processes proceeding in a modeled environment. Structure Diagrams represent the elements that compose the system.

Example of DFD for Online Store (Data Flow Diagram)

Data flow diagrams (DFDs) reveal relationships among and between the various components in a program or system. DFDs are an important technique for modeling a system’s high-level detail by showing how input data is transformed to output results through a sequence of functional transformations.
Example of DFD for Online Store shows the Data Flow Diagram for online store and interactions between the Visitors, Customers and Sellers, as well as Website Information and User databases.

Steps to Creating a Sales Process Flow Chart

DFD Flowchart Symbols

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a graphical technique which allows effectively model and analyze the information processes and systems. The ability to fast and easy create the DFDs is made possible with Data Flow Diagrams solution from the Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park. For designing the Data Flow Diagrams are used simple DFD flowchart symbols which are connected each other by arrows depicting the data flow from one step to another.

Professional Diagram and Flowchart Software

ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a Mac OS X and Windows platforms professional software to draw your own business process diagrams and flowcharts.

Educational Technology Tools

What are the favorite educational technology tools and techniques for teachers? Of course these are pictures, images and education infographics! ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software supplied with Education Infographics Solution from the Business Infographics Area provides powerful drawing tools to help design the education infographics of any complexity.

Download ConceptDraw PRO
Free 21 Trial for Mac and PC

Buy Now