Publications Details

Relational databases with NIAM models bid so long'' to top-down designs

Eaton, D.S.

Relational databases have many advantages over former hierarchical and network systems -- the most important advantage is their ease of modification. This leads designers to a new approach, which we at our company are finding very useful in building an information system of corporate-wide shared data. This approach is a phased bottom-up design and application development which is supported by an information modeling method called NIAM (Nijssen's Information Analysis Method). NIAM is not well known in the USA, but is widely used in Europe. An introduction to the NIAM approach and its advantages will be followed by examples of models and their corresponding relational database designs that have been developed in step-wise fashion at our company. Since NIAM algorithms yield tables in fifth normal form, our relational systems are implemented for optimum update capabilities and enforceable referential integrity. 4 refs., 6 figs.