Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conceptual Modeling: Enhancement Through Semiotics

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Conceptual Modeling (ER 2017)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 10650))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Conceptual modeling uses languages to represent the real world. Semiotics, as a general theory of signs and symbols, deals with the study of languages and is comprised of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Pragmatics includes the explicit representation of the intentions of users. A common assumption is that all levels of database design (user, conceptual, logical, and physical) can be modeled using the same language. However, languages at the conceptual level are often enhanced by concepts that attempt to capture inherent pragmatics. This research proposes that concepts from semiotics can provide the background needed to understand an application. Specifically, pragmatics and semantics are considered at both the user and conceptual level, based on proposed constraints.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Embley, D.W., Mok, W.Y.: Mapping conceptual models to database schemas. In: Embley, D., Thalheim, B. (eds.) Handbook of Conceptual Modeling, pp. 123–163. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-15865-0_5

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  2. Gruber, T.R.: A translation approach to portable ontology specifications. Knowl. Acquis. 5(2), 199–220 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hartmann, S.: On the characterization and construction of entity-relationship database populations obeying cardinality constraints. Ph.D. thesis, University Rostock (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Parsons, J., Wand, Y.: Using cognitive principles to guide classification in information systems modeling. MIS Q. 32(4), 839–868 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Storey, V.C.: Relational database design based on the entity-relationship model. Data Knowl. Eng. 7(1), 47–83 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Storey, V.C.: Understanding semantic relationships. VLDB J. 2(4), 455–488 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Storey, V.C.: Comparing relationships in conceptual modeling: mapping to semantic classifications. IEEE Trans. Knowl. Data Eng. 17(11), 1478–1489 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Schewe, K.-D., Thalheim, B.: About semantics. In: Schewe, K.-D., Thalheim, B. (eds.) SDKB 2010. LNCS, vol. 6834, pp. 1–22. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-23441-5_1

    Chapter  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Thalheim, B.: Entity-Relationship Modeling-Foundations of Database Technology. Springer, Berlin (2000)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  10. Thalheim, B.: Syntax, semantics and pragmatics of conceptual modelling. In: Bouma, G., Ittoo, A., Métais, E., Wortmann, H. (eds.) NLDB 2012. LNCS, vol. 7337, pp. 1–10. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31178-9_1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Thalheim, B., Tropmann-Frick, M.: Enhancing entity-relationship schemata for conceptual database structure models. In: Johannesson, P., Lee, M.L., Liddle, S.W., Opdahl, A.L., López, Ó.P. (eds.) ER 2015. LNCS, vol. 9381, pp. 603–611. Springer, Cham (2015). doi:10.1007/978-3-319-25264-3_47

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University. Thanks to Melinda McDaniel for her assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Information Systems, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Veda C. Storey

  2. Department of Computer Science, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany

    Bernhard Thalheim

Authors
  1. Veda C. Storey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bernhard Thalheim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernhard Thalheim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria

    Heinrich C. Mayr

  2. Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

    Giancarlo Guizzardi

  3. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Hui Ma

  4. Valencia University of Technology, Valencia, Spain

    Oscar Pastor

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this paper

Cite this paper

Storey, V.C., Thalheim, B. (2017). Conceptual Modeling: Enhancement Through Semiotics. In: Mayr, H., Guizzardi, G., Ma, H., Pastor, O. (eds) Conceptual Modeling. ER 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10650. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69904-2_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69904-2_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69903-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69904-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation