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Data Definition

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Encyclopedia of Database Systems
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Synonyms

Schema definition

Definition

Data definition is a process that is part of the database design process. Once the requirements for a particular database application are collected, the next step is the data definition process, during which the constructs of a database schema for that application are created. Hence, data definition is the process of creating the schema constructs in the data model used by a particular database management system (DBMS). Data definition includes defining the object types (entity types), relationship types, attributes, and constraints for a particular database application. Typically, the DDL or a graphical user interface is used during the data definition process.

Historical Background

Because database schemas are a fundamental part of structured database systems, it is necessary to undertake a comprehensive database design process to specify the data requirements for the database application. Once the requirements are collected, the data definition...

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  1. Elmasri R, Navathe S. Fundamentals of database systems. 7th ed. Pearson; 2016.

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Correspondence to Ramez Elmasri .

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© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Elmasri, R. (2018). Data Definition. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_80736

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