A FORMAL APPROACH TO SCHEMA DESIGN FOR ENGINEERING DATABASES

With the continued use of databases in engineering applications and the continued proliferation of engineering data, the importance of proper database design needs increasing attention. This paper introduces a new data modeling methodology called Nijssen's Information Analysis Methodology (NIAM). NIAM is a graphical modeling language used to design conceptual schemas that can be mapped onto any database model such as the relational and hierarchical data models. The paper describes a procedure, called the Optimal Normal Form algorithm, for mapping a NIAM conceptual schema onto a fifth normal form relational data model. An example from the construction management domain is used to describe the principles and concepts of the NIAM modeling methodology.