Niam Conceptual Data-base Design in Construction Management

With the continued use of data bases in engineering applications and the continued proliferation of engineering data, the importance of proper database design needs increasing attention. This paper presents a new data-modeling methodology called NIAM. NIAM is a graphical modeling language used to design conceptual schemas that can be mapped onto any data-base model, e.g., the relational and hierarchical data models. The paper describes a procedure, called the optimal normal form algorithm, for mapping a NIAM conceptual schema onto a fifth normal form relational data model. It then provides a brief background on the relational data model and the normalization process. Examples from the construction management domain are used to describe the principles and concepts of the NIAM modeling methodology.