ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors introduce some basic concepts of data modeling before they outline some foundations for all forms of data modeling: logic, set theory and formal descriptions of sequences. Formal models which are defined by this application of logical/mathematical descriptions enable two functions: data constraints and data queries. During data entry or data creation, the model can be used to express constraints. In computer science there are three main areas known for the application of formal models: data modeling, process modeling and system modeling, the design of software systems. Data modeling is concerned with the modeling of entities: documents, events, information systems, agents, data sets, and so forth. Mathematical models are usually used to make predictions about new data or answer questions such as whether specific factors correlate with one another. A conceptual model for a relational database is usually described by an entity-relationship model.
