entity-relationship model

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

entity-relationship model
entity-relationship diagram
ERD

   <database, specification> An approach to {data modelling}
   proposed by P. Chen in 1976.  The model says that you divide
   your database in two logical parts, entities (e.g. "customer",
   "product") and relations ("buys", "pays for").

   Entity-relationship diagrams can be used to represent a model.

   ["The entity-relationship model: toward a unified view of
   data", P.P. Chen, ACM Transactions on Database Systems 1:1 pp
   9-36, 1976].

   (1998-03-20)