SUPER TYPES AND

SUBTYPES

Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe advanced concepts of database design

Define Subtypes and Supertypes Describe Generalization and Specialization Use Constraints in Supertype Use Constraints in Supertype/Subtype Discriminators Describe Supertype/Subtype Hierarchy Define domains

Basic Definitions

Subtype: A subgrouping of the entities in an

entity type which has attributes that are distinct from those in other subgroupings.

Supertype: A generic entity type that has a

relationship with one or more subtypes.

Inheritance:
Subtype entities inherit values of all

attributes of the supertype.

An instance of a subtype is also an instance of the supertype.

Basics continued...

Basic notation for supertype/ subtype relationship:

Basics continued...

Employee supertype with three subtypes:

Relationships and Subtypes

Relationships at the supertype level

indicate that all subtypes will participate in

the relationship. The instances of a subtype may participate in a relationship unique to that subtype. In this situation, the relationship is shown at the subtype level.

Relationships continued...

Supertype/subtype relationships in a hospital:

Supertype/ Subtype Notation

The hieararchy of the supertype/suntype notation is as follows: SUPERTYPE SUBTYPE 3 SUBTYPE 2 SUBTYPE 1 Attributes unique to subtype 1 Attributes unique to subtype 2 Attributes unique to subtype 3 Attributes shared by all entities

Generalization
The process of categorizing entities by their

similarities and differences is known as generalization.

Generalization hierarchies should be used when: A large number of entities appear to be of the same type,

Attributes are repeated for multiple entities,

The model is continually evolving.

Rules for Generalization

Each instance of the supertype entity must appear in at least one subtype. Subtypes can be a part of only one generalization hierarchy. Subtypes may be the parent entity in a relationship, but not the child.

Example

Specialization

The process of defining one or more subtypes of the supertype, and forming supertype/subtype relationships.

Constraints in Supertype

Completeness Constraints

Disjointness Constraints

Completeness Constraints
Addresses the question of whether an instance of a

supertype must also be a member of at least one

subtype. The total specialization rule specifies that each entity

instance of the supertype must be a member of some

subtype in the relationship. It is denoted by a double line.

The partial specialization rule specifies that an entity

instance of the supertype is allowed to not belong to any subtype. It is denoted by a single line.

Constraints continued... Total Specialization Rule

Constraints continued... Partial Specialization Rule

Disjointness Constraints
Addresses the question of whether an instance of a Super type may simultaneously be a member of two (or more) subtypes. The disjoint rule specifies that if an entity instance is a member of one subtype, it cannot simultaneously be a member of any other subtype. It is denoted by the letter d. The overlap rule specifies that an entity instance can simultaneously be a member of two (or more) subtypes.

Constraints continued... Disjoint Rule

Constraints continued... Overlap Rule

Constraints in Discriminators
Subtype Discriminator
It is an attribute of the supertype whose values determine the target subtype(s). It is used to direct into which of the subtypes (if any) a new instance of the supertype should be inserted. Disjoint a simple attribute with alternative values to indicate the possible subtypes. Overlapping a composite attribute whose subparts

pertain to different subtypes. Each subpart contains a

boolean value to indicate whether or not the instance belongs to the associated subtype

Discriminators continued... Introducing a subtype discriminator (Disjoint Rule)

Discriminators continued... Introducing a subtype discriminator (Overlap Rule)

Supertype/Subtype Hierarchy
It is a hierarchical arrangement of supertypes and subtypes, where each subtype has only one supertype. In this hierarchy, attributes are assigned at the highest

logical level that is possible in the hierarchy.

Subtypes that are lower in the hierarchy inherit attributes not only from their immediate supertype,

but also from all supertypes higher in the hierarchy, up

to the root.

Hierarchy continued... Example of supertype/subtype hierarchy

Domain
A domain is a conceptual pool of values from which
one or more attributes draw their actual values. Examples:

DOMAIN AGE RANGE 0-127

ATTRIBUTE EMPLOYEE.AGE 16-65 ATTRIBUTE DEPENDENT.AGE 0-60 Two values can only be compared if they come from the same domain.

Defining a Domain
Syntax:
CREATE { DOMAIN | DATATYPE } [ AS ] domain-name

data-type [ [NOT] NULL]

[DEFAULT default-value] [ CHECK ( condition ) ]

Domain Integrity Constraints

Domains are used in the relational model to define the characteristics of the columns of a table. The domain specifies its own name, data type and logical size. The logical size represents the size as perceived by the user, not how it is implemented internally.

Summary
You now should be able to:

Describe advanced concepts of database design Define Subtypes and Supertypes Describe Generalization and Specialization

Use Constraints in Supertype

Use Constraints in Supertype/Subtype Discriminators

Describe Supertype/Subtype Hierarchy

Define domains