In a one-to-many relationship, what is the standard name for the entity on the “one” side?

Introduction / Context:
Naming conventions like parent and child help communicate directionality and key placement in one-to-many relationships.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The relationship has one instance on one side and many on the other.
• The side with one instance conceptually owns or governs the many side entries.

Concept / Approach:
The entity on the “one” side is commonly called the parent; the entity on the “many” side is the child. In tables, the child holds the foreign key referencing the parent’s key.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Customer (parent) to Order (child); Department (parent) to Employee (child).

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Child denotes the many side.
• Instance and subtype are unrelated to this directional naming.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming the parent must physically contain the child rows; in relational systems, containment is logical via keys, not physical nesting.

Final Answer:
parent