Comparison between Strong and Weak Entity
Contents
The Key Difference between Strong and Weak Entity is that a Strong Entity has a primary key whereas a Weak Entity does not have a primary key.
Weak entity is dependent on a strong entity whereas a Strong entity is independent not dependent on any other.
Comparison Chart
| Strong Entity | Weak Entity | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strong entity has a primary key. | Weak entity has a partial key. |
| 2 | Strong entity is independent | Weak entity is dependent on a strong entity |
| 3 | Strong entity indicated by a single rectangle. | Strong entity indicated by a double rectangle. |
| 4 | Two strong entity’s relationship is indicated by a single diamond. | One strong and one weak entity is indicated by a double diamond. |
| 5 | Strong entity may be or may not be participate relationships. | Weak entity always participates relationships. |
| 6 | In strong entity connecting line is a single line | In weak entity connecting line is a double line |
Weak Entity
- An entity set that does not have a primary key is called a weak entity set.
- The existence of a weak entity set depends on the existence of a strong entity set.
- Weak entity set is indicated by a double rectangle.
- Weak entity relationship set is indicated by a double diamond.
- The discriminator (partial key) of a weak entity set is the set of attributes that distinguishes between all the entities of a weak entity set.
- The primary key of a weak entity set is created by combining the primary key of the strong entity set on which the weak entity set is existence dependent and the weak entity set’s discriminator.
- Underline the discriminator attribute of a weak entity set with a dashed line.
- Example is the below image.
- There are two entities loan and payment in which loan is strong entity set and payment is weak entity set.
- Payment entity has payment-no which is the discriminator.
- Loan entity has loan-no as a primary key.
- So the primary key for payment is (loan-no, payment-no).
More Differences
- Difference Between Generalization and Specialization in DBMS
- Difference Between Security and Integrity