Naming and Defining Entities and Attributes › Entity and Attribute Names › Synonyms, Homonyms, and Aliases

Synonyms, Homonyms, and Aliases

Not everyone speaks the same language. Not everyone is always precise in the use of names. Since entities and attributes are identified by their names in a data model, you need to ensure that synonyms are resolved to ensure that they do not represent redundant data. Then you need to precisely define them so that each person who reads the model can understand which facts are captured in which entity.

It is also important to choose a name that clearly communicates a sense of what the entity or attribute represents. For example, you get a clear sense that there is some difference among things called PERSON, CUSTOMER, and EMPLOYEE. Although they can all represent an individual, they have distinct characteristics or qualities. However, it is the role of the business user to tell you whether or not PERSON and EMPLOYEE are two different things or just synonyms for the same thing.

Choose names carefully, and be wary of calling two different things by the same name. For example, if you are dealing with a business area which insists on calling its customers “consumers,” do not force or insist on the customer name. You may have discovered an alias, another name for the same thing, or you may have a new “thing” that is distinct from, although similar to, another “thing.” In this case, perhaps CONSUMER is a category of CUSTOMER that can participate in relationships that are not available for other categories of CUSTOMER.

You can enforce unique naming in the modeling environment. This way you can avoid the accidental use of homonyms (words that are written the same but have different meanings), ambiguous names, or duplication of entities or attributes in the model.