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INFS1200/7900 Relational Mapping Notation Guide
The following document contains some notation standards for relational mapping. These notations
are specific to the INFS1200/7900 course and may be different to the styles followed in various
textbook or online resources. It is highly recommended you follow these standards when completing
relational mapping for your assignment or exam.
Note: This guide simply recommends naming conventions and layout for relational mapping. When
completing relational mapping from an ER and EER diagram you must still follow the steps covered
during the lectures and tutorials.
Naming Convention
Table names in a relation schema should follow UpperCamelCase standard. That is, the first letter
of each word is capitalised and there are no spaces between words. A space should separate the
table name and the brackets. Attribute names however should follow lowerCamelCase standard.
This means that the first letter of each word from the second word onwards is capitalised. If an
attribute name is an acronym, then the entire acronym should be lowercase. A composite primary
key must also have a single continuous underline connecting all attributes included in the primary
key. An example of relational schema both compliant and not compliant with this style guide can be
seen below.

Flight [planeNumber, depatureTime, duration, eta]

FLIGHT[planeNumber, depature time, Duration, ETA]
Layout
In any relational schema, a table must be directly followed by the foreign keys pertinent to that table.
After the last foreign key for that table has been listed, a blank line should be left before the next
table definition begins. An example of this can be seen below.










Employee [ssn, firstName, lastName, dob, manager]
Employee.manager references Employee.ssn

Dependant [ssn, name, dob]
Dependant.ssn references Employee.ssn

DependantPhoneNumber [ssn, name, phoneNumber]
DependantPhoneNumber.{ssn, name} references Dependant.{ssn, name}
Employee [ssn, firstName, lastName, dob, manager]

Dependant [ssn, name, dob]

DependantPhoneNumber [ssn, name, phoneNumber]

Foreign Keys:
Employee.manager references Employee.ssn
Dependant.ssn references Employee.ssn
DependantPhoneNumber.{ssn, name} references Dependant.{ssn, name}