Entity-Relationship Models

An Entity-Relationship (ER) Model is a way to visually organize and represent data about real-world objects and their relationships. Think of it as a blueprint: entities are the things or concepts (like customers or products), and relationships describe how these entities are connected (such as a customer purchasing a product). The ER model uses diagrams with symbols to show these entities and their links, helping design and understand complex data systems clearly before building databases. It's a useful tool for planning how information is stored, retrieved, and managed efficiently.