Cheryl L. Dunn
Florida State University
Gregory J. Gerard
Florida State University
Severin V. Grabski
Michigan State University
Abstract: Conceptual data models are used to design databases and they serve as representations of completed databases. Systems analysts and designers use them to communicate with end users about the database. Evidence suggests that modeling experts focus almost entirely on structural constraints and ignore surface semantics, even when conflicts exist between the constraints and the real world environment. System evaluators must attend to both surface semantics and structural constraints, to recognize inconsistencies and to ensure databases are designed in conformance with the underlying semantics. Syntactic and semantic understanding of conceptual data models is examined from the perspectives of text-centered theory and schema theory. Results indicate semantic understanding differs from syntactic understanding and information load affects semantic understanding of relationships for which mandatory participation is depicted.
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