ERD Symbols and Meanings

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is a popular software engineering tool for database modeling and illustration the logical structure of databases, which uses one of two notations - Chen's or Crow’s Foot. Crow's foot notation is effective when used in software engineering, information engineering, structured systems analysis and design. Each of these notations applies its own set of ERD symbols. Crow's foot diagrams use boxes to represent entities and lines between these boxes to show relationships. Varied shapes at the ends of lines depict the cardinality of a given relationship. Chen's ERD notation is more detailed way to represent entities and relationships. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM application enhanced with all-inclusive Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution allows design professional ER diagrams with Chen's or Crow’s Foot notation on your choice. It contains the full set of ready-to-use standardized ERD symbols and meanings helpful for quickly drawing, collection of predesigned ERD samples, examples and templates. ConceptDraw Pro is a great alternative to Visio for Mac users as it offers more features and can easily handle the most demanding professional needs.

How to Build an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

Entity Relationship Diagram Symbols

The semantic modeling method nowadays is successfully applied in database structure design. It is effective method of modeling the data structures, which is based on the meaning of these data. As a tool of semantic modeling, there are used different types of Entity-Relationship Diagrams. Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) is applied to visually and clearly represent a structure of a business database. The main components of ERDs are: entity, relation and attributes. An entity is a class of similar objects in the model, each entity is depicted in the form of rectangle and has the name expressed by a noun. Relation is shown in the form of non-directional line that connects two entities. There are several notation styles used for ERDs: information engineering style, Chen style, Bachman style, Martin Style. The Entity Relationship Diagram symbols used for professional ERD drawing are predesigned by professionals and collected in the libraries of the Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software.

Flow Chart Symbols

The Flowcharts are incredibly useful and popular tool used in science, business, software development, analytics, engineering, marketing, manufacturing, administration, architecture, government, politics, and many other fields thanks to a variety of existing types of flowcharts. A Flowchart is a visual graphical representation of the process, algorithm, or the set of steps taken for problem's solution. Widely used for designing, visualizing and documenting simple and complex processes and programs, they effectively help to understand the process and to find easier the flaws if they are. Each flowchart type supposes the use of its own set of notations for drawing corresponding diagram, which includes the symbols of process, decision, data, document, data base, termination, initiation processes, processing loops, conditions, etc. It is easily design a Flowchart using the special professional flowchart maker - ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagram software with numerous predesigned flow chart symbols grouped in libraries of Flowcharts solution from ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Business Process Flowchart Symbols

Business process modeling is known in the corporate world as an excellent tool which can speak. Business process flowcharts, diagrams and maps are used to define the business processes in terms of inputs and outputs, to visually represent and effectively explain complex business processes of an enterprise, and also showcase decisions on a single piece of paper. The process of business process mapping supposes the use of special business process flowchart symbols predefined by Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and taking their roots from the data processing diagrams and programming flow charts. In other words the BPMN standard notation is a common language used for business process design and implementation, that guarantees a clarity of designed Business Process Flowcharts for all business analysts, technical developers and business managers. The ability to create professionally-looking Business Process flowcharts, maps and diagrams, is provided by powerful ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software and the Business Process Mapping solution included to ConceptDraw Solution Park.

How to create a UML Diagram

ConceptDraw DIAGRAM extended with the Rapid UML solution is perfect for drawing professional UML diagrams.

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How to Draw Geometric Shapes

Knowledge of geometry grants people good logic, abstract and spatial thinking skills. The object of study of geometry is the size, shape and position, the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. Geometry is related to many other areas in math and is used daily by engineers, architects, designers, and many other professionals. Today, the objects of geometry are not only shapes and solids. It deals with properties and relationships and looks much more about analysis and reasoning. Geometry drawings can be helpful when you study geometry or need to illustrate some investigation related to geometry. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM allows you to draw plane and solid geometry shapes quickly and easily.

Process Flow Chart Symbols

Process Flow Chart is a visual diagram which shows the processes and relationships between the major components in a system, and uses for this the special process flow chart symbols: special shapes to represent different types of actions and process steps, lines and arrows to represent relationships and sequence of steps. It often named process flow diagram, it use colored flowchart symbols. It is incredibly convenient to use the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software extended with Flowcharts Solution from the "Diagrams" Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park for designing professional looking Process Flow Charts.

Definition Flowchart

A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm, workflow or process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting them with arrows. This definition flowchart gives a clear answer for the question "What is a flowchart?". It is convenient to use a powerful ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software extended with Flowcharts Solution from the "Diagrams" Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park to design flowcharts of various types which will additionally illustrate a definition flowchart.

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How to Simplify Flow Charting on PC

Flowcharts are the best tool for staking out a huge and complex process into some small readable parts. The use of standard symbols that make it clear for a wide audience makes a software tool preferred for this task. The core of a successful flowchart is its simplicity. That is why often before beginning making flowchart through software, people draw the sketch on a piece of paper. Designing an effective flowchart means the combination of the data needed to be shown and the simplicity with which you depict it. In ConceptDraw DIAGRAM it really is so simple to draw even the most complex flowcharts. Use Rapid Draw technology for the best results.

Computer Network Diagrams

Computer Network Diagrams solution extends ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software with samples, templates and libraries of vector icons and objects of computer network devices and network components to help you create professional-looking Computer Network Diagrams, to plan simple home networks and complex computer network configurations for large buildings, to represent their schemes in a comprehensible graphical view, to document computer networks configurations, to depict the interactions between network's components, the used protocols and topologies, to represent physical and logical network structures, to compare visually different topologies and to depict their combinations, to represent in details the network structure with help of schemes, to study and analyze the network configurations, to communicate effectively to engineers, stakeholders and end-users, to track network working and troubleshoot, if necessary.

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