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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)
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.

Entity Relationship Diagram - ERD - Software for Design Crows Foot ER Diagrams

ER-model is a data model which lets describe the conceptual schemes in a specific subject area. It can help to highlight the key entities and specify relationships that can be established between these entities. During the database design, it is realized the transformation of ER model into certain database scheme based on the chosen data model (relational, object, network, etc.). There are used two notations for ERDs: Crow's Foot and Chen's. Crow's Foot notation proposed by Gordon Everest represents the entity by rectangle containing its name (name must be unique within this model), and relation - by the line which links two entities involved in relationship. The relationship's plurality is graphically indicated by a "plug" on the end of the link, the optionality - by a circle. Entity-Relationship Diagrams based on Crow's Foot notation can be easily drawn using the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM. Extended with Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution, it is the best ERD diagrams software with powerful tools and ready design elements for Crow's Foot and Chen notations.
How to Build an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)
How to Build an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

Basic Flowchart Symbols and Meaning

Flowcharts are the best for visually representation the business processes and the flow of a custom-order process through various departments within an organization. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Flowcharts solution offers the full set of predesigned basic flowchart symbols which are gathered at two libraries: Flowchart and Flowcharts Rapid Draw. Among them are: process, terminator, decision, data, document, display, manual loop, and many other specific symbols. The meaning for each symbol offered by ConceptDraw gives the presentation about their proposed use in professional Flowcharts for business and technical processes, software algorithms, well-developed structures of web sites, Workflow diagrams, Process flow diagram and correlation in developing on-line instructional projects or business process system. Use of ready flow chart symbols in diagrams is incredibly useful - you need simply drag desired from the libraries to your document and arrange them in required order. There are a few serious alternatives to Visio for Mac, one of them is ConceptDraw DIAGRAM. It is one of the main contender with the most similar features and capabilities.
How to Build a Flowchart
How to Build a Flowchart

ConceptDraw Arrows10 Technology

You want to connecting objects manually? You don't know how should diagramming software work? Is it possible to develop a diagram as quickly as the ideas come to you? Yes. The innovative ConceptDraw Arrows10 Technology - This is more than enough versatility to draw any type of diagram with any degree of complexity. You can start draw your diagram manually now.

Data Flow Diagram

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is the part of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM), which is intended for information systems projection and analysis. Data Flow Diagrams allow graphically represent the data flows in information system and analyze the data processing during the structural projection. This type of diagrams lets visually show a work of information system and results of this work, it is often used in connection with human processes and can be displayed as Workflow diagram. Data Flow Diagram visualizes processes and functions, external entities, data depositories, and data flows connecting these elements and indicating direction and data character. Each of these elements used for DFD has its own graphical notation. There are two notations to draw DFDs - Yourdon & Coad and Gane & Sarson. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM extended with Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) solution from Software Developmant area is ideal for designing professional looking DFDs, which can be then easily exported in various formats.

Create Floor Plans Easily with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM

How to create Floor Plan Design easy and effectively? You can invite an interior designer and trust this work to him, which is usually expensive and result may not always meet your expectations. Another way is to design it yourself, but at this case you need to have special skills, knowledges and abilities, among them basic knowledge of the composition rules, color theory, materials science and software for interior design development. The ability to use specialized software for drawing is especially valuable, useful and saves your time. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is one of the best among similar software, it offers extensive functionality, powerful tools, a lot of features, and is simple for using, so can be applied by everyone without efforts. Enhanced with Floor Plans and other solutions from the Building Plans area, the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software helps easily create unique and harmonious interior designs, and draw in desired scale professional-looking Floor Plans and Layouts for homes, apartments, hotels, offices, and other buildings. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a full Visio compatibility and better alternative for students, teachers and business professionals to reliably create kinds of flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, floor plans, electrical diagrams, software design diagrams, maps and more.
How to Draw a Floor Plan
How to Draw a Floor Plan

How To use House Electrical Plan Software

How we can conduct the electricity at house correctly without a plan? It is impossible. The House electrical diagram depicts locations of switches, outlets, dimmers and lights, and lets understand how you will connect them. But design of House Electrical Plan looks a complex task at a glance, which requires a lot of tools and special experience. But now all is simple with all-inclusive floor plan software - ConceptDraw DIAGRAM. As a house electrical plan software, the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM contains libraries with a large range of professional lighting and electrical symbols, ready-to-use electrical plans samples and examples, and built-in templates for creating great-looking Home floor electrical plans. It is a fastest way to draw Electrical circuit diagrams, Electrical wiring and Circuit schematics, Digital circuits, Electrical equipment, House electrical plans, Satellite television, Cable television, Home cinema, Closed-circuit television when are used the tools of Electric and Telecom Plans Solution from ConceptDraw Solution Park. Files created in Visio for Mac app can be easily imported to ConceptDraw DIAGRAM. Also you may import stencils and even libraries. Try for free an alternative to Visio that Apple users recommend.
Create an Electrical Diagram
Create an Electrical Diagram

Bar Chart Template

These bar chart templates was designed using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Bar Graphs solution from Graphs and Charts area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Column Chart Software

ConceptDraw Column Chart software allows drawing column charts using predesigned objects or drawing tools. In ConceptDraw Column Chart software you can find a complete set of column chart tools and objects.