ERD Standards Checklist

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Entities

• Shape: Must use the "ENTITY" shape.
• Naming: Names must be singular (e.g., CUSTOMER, not CUSTOMERS).
• Formatting: No spaces or hyphens are allowed. Underscores are acceptable (e.g., SALES_ORDER).

Attributes

• Key Attributes: Must be marked with the word "Key" in the first column.
• Non-Key Attributes: The first column must be left blank.
• Naming: Must use a common prefix to show which entity they belong to (e.g., cust_FirstName, cust_LastName).
• Formatting: No spaces or hyphens. Underscores are acceptable.
• Optionality: You do not need to show if an attribute is required or optional (e.g., with bold text).

Relationships

• Label: Every relationship must have a verb as a label (e.g., places, contains).
• Direction: It's best practice to name the relationship from the "one" side to the "many" side (e.g., "A CUSTOMER places many ORDERs").

Cardinality

• Required: You must show both the minimum and maximum cardinality at each end of the relationship.
• Formatting: Using a single line is not allowed. You must use the two-line notation (often called "crow's foot" notation).

Relationship Lines

• Type: Lines must be solid for identifying relationships and dashed (or broken) for non-identifying relationships.
• Layout: Lines must be straight (either horizontal or vertical) or can be "stepped."
• Clarity: Lines must not cross over each other.