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Database Tables

Tables are the fundamental components of a relational database, representing multiple rows of structured data elements (referred to as Columns). Every individual item of data entered into a relational database is represented by a value in a column.

Enterprise Architect's UML Profile for Data Modeling represents:

  • Database Tables as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<table>>
  • Table columns as UML attributes of a Table, with a stereotype of <<column>>
  • Primary Keys as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<PK>>
  • Foreign Keys as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<FK>>
  • Indexes as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<index>>
  • Unique Constraints as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<unique>>
  • Check Constraints as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<check>>
  • Table Triggers as UML operations/methods of a Table, with a stereotype of <<trigger>>

Enterprise Architect refers to all of the UML operations of a Table collectively as Constraints, hence the screen you use to maintain a Table's UML attributes and operations is called the Columns and Constraints screen.

Example

This simple example of a Physical Data Model diagram in Enterprise Architect consists of two Database Tables represented by UML Classes, named customers and customer_addresses.

A physical data model using Information Engineering connectors between tables, in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Each Table defines database columns, using UML attributes typed appropriately for the target DBMS (in this case, PostgreSQL).

Notes

  • The Table stereotype is denoted by the icon in the top-right corner of each Class (see the Data Modeling Notation topic)
  • The Enterprise Architect maintenance screen for managing Table Columns doesn't allow you to change the attributes stereotype, since <<column>> is the only valid option
  • It is possible to hide the <<column>> stereotype label shown in the example Tables (see the Data Modeling Notation topic)

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