CODEWITHSUNDEEP
databaseentity-relationship
scrub_lord
scrub_lord

Reputation: 119

How to represent a junction table in an Entity Relationship diagram?

I have an access database with a many to many relationship between the tables Skills and Students, I am using the junction table Student-Skills to achieve the many to many relationship.

I have to represent this in an Entity relationship diagram, would I include the junction table or simply have a many to many relationship between the two main tables to represent this?

The alternative is to show an ER diagram with two relationships either side of the junction table, but this seems redundant.

What is the standard way to do this? I am leaning toward not showing the junction table in the ER diagram.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 4451

Answers (1)

Vince
Vince

Reputation: 326

It really just depends, and people do it different ways. In most cases when doing a technical relational diagram I am actually listing out foreign keys when defining the relationships, which requires the linking table to be included.

When doing a simpler ER diagram it really just depends on who your audience is. If you are trying to communicate on a technical level as to how the database is being defined then it makes sense to leave it in as it clearly defines the relationship.

If your audience just needs to understand the relationships at a high level it may make more sense to simplify. Neither way is right or wrong, and I haven't seen a consistent standard.

Upvotes: 1

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