Extracting an entity relationship schema from a relational database through reverse engineering

This paper presents a method for extracting a conceptual schema from a relational database. The method is based on an analysis of data manipulation statements in the code of an application using a relational DBMS. Attributes representing references between tables in the relational schema, and possible keys are determined by an analysis of join conditions in queries and view definitions. Knowledge about which attributes link tables is used to investigate the database extension in a selective manner. When the keys cannot be unambiguously determined, possible solutions are generated by the system under guidance of the user. The approach makes it possible to efficiently construct a conceptual schema from only rudimentary information.