Title :
Elementary structures in entity-relationship diagrams: a new metric for effort estimation
Author :
Kennedy, Geoffrey J.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. & Inf. Sci., Otago Univ., Dunedin, New Zealand
Abstract :
The paper describes a systematic treatment of the entity relationship diagram, resulting in the identification of three elementary data structures. Recognition of these structures is shown to constitute a useful analytical and diagnostic tool for data modelling. An algorithm for counting the number of occurrences of each type of structure in a data model is presented and the possibility is explored of using these values as the basis for a metric for system development effort estimation. Such a metric could be applied earlier in the development cycle than others currently in use. For a specific class of system an empirical expression for the estimation of development effort is determined
Keywords :
data structures; entity-relationship modelling; relational databases; software metrics; systems analysis; data model; data modelling; development effort; diagnostic tool; effort estimation; elementary data structures; empirical expression; entity relationship diagram; metric; system development effort estimation; Computer aided software engineering; Data analysis; Data models; Data structures; Databases; Information science; Information systems; Instruments; Power engineering and energy; Predictive models;
Conference_Titel :
Software Engineering: Education and Practice, 1996. Proceedings. International Conference
Conference_Location :
Dunedin
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-7379-6
DOI :
10.1109/SEEP.1996.533985
