Database Objects

Whilst Tables are the fundamental components of a relational database, representing multiple rows of structured data elements, there are numerous other objects that support Tables to improve the functionality and use of the stored data, such as:

Database Views - a View represents the result-set of a pre-defined query; they are dynamically derived from the data stored in one or more Tables (or other Views)
Database Procedures - a feature that some DBMS products implement to provide subroutines that can contain one or more SQL statements to perform a specific task such as data validation, access control, or to reduce network traffic between clients and the DBMS servers
Database Functions - a feature that some DBMS products implement to provide a mechanism to extend the functionality of the database server; each is a routine that can accept parameters, perform an action (such as a complex calculation) and return the result of that action as a value
Database Sequences - a feature that some DBMS products implement to provide a mechanism to generate unique values - the Sequence ensures that each call to it returns a unique value

The UML itself does not specify how data modeling is performed, but Enterprise Architect has a fully integrated UML profile for data modeling and a range of features built in to the core product that will make data modeling easy.

The profile uses stereotypes and Tagged Values to extend standard UML elements into data modeling constructs. This is achieved by adding the database object stereotype to a UML Class; so that you would model:

Data Modeling diagrams as extended UML Class diagrams
Database Tables as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<table>>
Database Views as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<view>>
Database Procedures as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<procedure>>
Database Functions as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<function>>
Database Sequences as UML Class objects with a stereotype of <<dbsequence>>

You can quickly create and configure all of these objects in your database model with Enterprise Architect.

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