Cardinality question: in which relationship type can many instances of one entity be related to many instances of another entity?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Many-to-Many Relationship

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Many-to-many (M:N) relationships are common in domains such as course enrollments or product orders. Recognizing them is key because their relational implementation requires an associative (junction) table.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Each entity on the first side can be associated with many on the second side.
  • Each entity on the second side can also be associated with many on the first side.


Concept / Approach:
An M:N relationship connects multiple instances on both sides. In relational databases, you implement it by introducing a third table whose foreign keys point to each parent; together they can form the primary key or a unique constraint.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Identify that “many on both sides” matches the definition of many-to-many.Recall implementation: create an associative table to avoid repeating groups and anomalies.Choose “Many-to-Many Relationship.”


Verification / Alternative check:
Examples: Students and Courses; Tags and Articles; Doctors and Patients (in some contexts).



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • One-to-one and one-to-many do not allow many associations on both sides.
  • Composite relationship is not the standard cardinality label here.


Common Pitfalls:
Attempting to represent M:N with foreign keys in just two tables; this design leads to duplication or nulls. Use a junction table instead.



Final Answer:
Many-to-Many Relationship

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