In database engineering, the process of reading an existing database schema and using it to produce a higher level data model or entity relationship diagram is known as which of the following?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the concept of reverse engineering in database engineering. While forward engineering moves from requirements and conceptual models down to logical and physical schemas, reverse engineering moves in the opposite direction. When a database already exists and its schema is available, engineers may reconstruct higher level data models or entity relationship diagrams from the implementation. This is particularly useful when documentation is missing or outdated.

Given Data / Assumptions:

An existing database schema is available for inspection.
The task is to produce a higher level data model based on that schema.
We are looking for the specific term used for this upward derivation process.
Forward engineering is known to generate schemas from conceptual models, not the other way around.
The context is standard database engineering terminology used in industry and academia.

Concept / Approach:
Reverse engineering in databases refers to analyzing implemented schemas, constraints, and sometimes program code to derive conceptual or logical models. This can reveal entities, relationships, and business rules that are implicit in the schema. Data modeling and database design usually refer to activities that begin with requirements or conceptual ideas, moving toward implementation. Forward engineering specifically denotes the path from conceptual model to schema. Thus, the process of going from schema back to a higher level model is known as reverse engineering.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the process described goes from an existing database schema up to a higher level data model.Step 2: Recall that forward engineering goes in the opposite direction, from conceptual models down to schemas.Step 3: Recognize that standard terminology calls this upward derivation process reverse engineering.Step 4: Review the options and find the one that explicitly labels the process as reverse engineering.Step 5: Confirm that the other options either mislabel the direction or refer to different processes.

Verification / Alternative check:
Textbooks and academic papers on database design frequently discuss reverse engineering as a way to recover conceptual models from legacy databases. Tools exist that read schemas and generate entity relationship diagrams or UML class diagrams. These tools and techniques are consistently described as reverse engineering. No standard source describes this process as data modeling in general or as forward engineering, which validates the selection of reverse engineering as the correct term.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The option labeled data modeling is too general and usually refers to the overall practice of defining data structures from requirements, not necessarily from existing schemas. Database design is also a broad term and is more commonly associated with forward planning rather than schema recovery. Saying that none of the terms fits is incorrect, because reverse engineering is a well established term. Forward engineering clearly describes the opposite direction, from models to implementation, and therefore does not match the scenario described.

Common Pitfalls:
A common confusion arises because students think of modeling and design as two way processes, but the terminology in the field is more precise. It is important to remember that forward engineering starts with conceptual models and produces implementation artifacts, while reverse engineering starts with existing implementations and reconstructs models. Keeping this directionality straight helps answer exam questions and understand tool documentation correctly.

Final Answer:
The process of reading an existing schema and producing a data model is called reverse engineering, which derives a data model from an implemented database schema.