Medical Office Database ERD System Design And Business Rules
A small medical office needs a database system designed. The design starts with a visualized conceptualization carried by an entity-relationship diagram (ERD). Create this ERD by completing the following steps:
- Identify all involved in the database system so your ERD accurately “captures” the entire process, actors, and relationships (e.g., staff, patients, suppliers, carriers, etc.).
- Identify and list entities and attributes for each entity.
- Make sure you designate an attribute to serve as a primary key per each entity. Explain why that attribute “deserves” to be designated a primary key.
- Briefly define business rules. (Example: One patient can’t schedule more than one appointment at a time.)
It is important that you have a clear understanding of key concepts such as entity, attribute, primary key, foreign key, referential integrity, relationships, ERD, etc., before starting to work on the assignment.
Example:
Entity – Nurse
Attributes: Employee ID (Primary Key), Name, Address, DOB, SSN, License Number.
The ERD should be created using one of the following options:
- Draw using a free drawing tool available online, such as SmartDraw (Links to an external site.) or Lucid Chart (Links to an external site.).
- Draw using software you already own, such as Visio (Links to an external site.) or Argo UML (Links to an external site.).
- Draw by hand and take a snapshot with a camera.
It is not important how you draw the diagram, as long as it effectively conceptualizes the database system design and “captures” the system accurately. The diagram must be imported or inserted into a Word document and accompanied by an APA-formatted cover page.
