Which database activity specifically determines the entities, attributes, and relationships in the data (prior to logical and physical design)?

Introduction / Context:
Data modeling proceeds in layers. The conceptual layer captures the business meaning of data without committing to a specific DBMS or structures.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We need the phase that discovers and names entities, attributes, and relationships.
• Later phases map these concepts to tables, keys, and physical storage.

Concept / Approach:
Conceptual data modeling uses high-level diagrams (often ER models) to align stakeholders on business semantics. Logical design translates the conceptual model into relations, keys, and constraints; physical design tunes storage and indexing; implementation builds the database.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Methodologies uniformly place discovery at conceptual stage before schema normalization and physical tuning.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Logical: Maps to relations.
Physical: Storage/indexing.
Implementation: Build/deploy.

Common Pitfalls:
Jumping to table design before agreeing on business semantics.

Final Answer:
Conceptual data modeling