Generalization and Specializaiton in DBMS

GENERALIZATION

In Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams, generalization is a bottom-up approach that merges lower-level entities into a higher-level entity, called a superclass. This method identifies common features among entities and consolidates them, creating a more generalized and organized representation. By eliminating redundancy, generalization helps simplify and structure the data model more efficiently.

 

SPECIALIZATION

In Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams, specialization is a top-down approach that divides a higher-level entity into two or more lower-level entities based on their unique characteristics. This process involves creating subgroups from a single entity set and is closely associated with inheritance, where the attributes of the higher-level entity are inherited by the resulting lower-level entities.