EXAPTER ENDAPTER · WORKING ARTIFACT

Build the Entity

Practice translating business requirements into entities, attributes, primary keys, and connection paths—before adding cardinality.

Round 1 of 425%
Use this activity individually or with a small group. Drag the cards or use click/tap controls, then check each round. No account is required, no answers are submitted, and no data is collected.

Round 1 · Entity and attribute

Sort the attributes

Place every attribute under the entity it describes. Drag cards, or select a card and then select an entity box. A card may be moved again at any time.

Attribute bank

Round 2 · Attribute quality

Question the attribute

Some labels are ambiguous, combine multiple facts, or conceal a relationship. Choose the strongest diagnosis. A discussion may reveal more than one concern.

Round 3 · Unique identifiers

Choose a primary key

Which attribute should uniquely identify each individual customer, product, order, or employee? Select the strongest choice for each entity.

Round 4 · Connecting entities

Build the connection

Arrange each set of entities from left to right according to the business workflow. Look for the entity that carries keys from the entities it touches. Drag the cards, or select a card and then select a position.

The shared keys reveal the path.

The connecting entity carries the identifiers needed to link the entities on either side. You have not described how many records participate yet—you have only established which entities connect and which keys make the connection possible.

Be prepared to explain: In the sneaker-store example, why does ORDER_ITEM need both order_id and product_id?