You have been asked to design a database system for DonationDollars, a company that wants to facilitate donations to non-profit organizations via an online service. To do this, DonationDollars presents an online profile for each company on a website. Here, other people can make donations to the cause. The website shows the number of dollars gathered in a given time, the people who donated (can be by name or anonymous) and the amount of money donated. In addition to facilitating this exchange online, DonationDollars needs to transfer all money to the correct organization, send a thank-you letter to the person who is donating the money (for tax deduction purposes) and keep track of the total amounts of dollars donated to all different companies. For example, one organization that uses DonationDollars could be the Pet Orphanage, a shelter for animals. As an individual, you can donate money online to the Pet Orphanage using the website put up by DonationDollars. Design a database for this project. • Explain the difference between an ER diagram and your Relational Model showing the tables. (10)

An Entity-Relationship (ER) diagram is a graphical representation of the entities (objects or concepts) and their relationships in a database system. It is used to provide a visual representation of the database design, showing the structure and organization of the data. An ER diagram consists of entity sets (represented as rectangles), attributes (represented as ovals), and relationships (represented as diamonds or lines connecting entities).

On the other hand, a Relational Model is a mathematical model used to represent the structure and organization of data in a database system. It is a theoretical framework that defines how data is stored, manipulated, and accessed in a relational database. The Relational Model consists of tables, where each table represents an entity set, and the rows and columns of the table represent the instances and attributes of the entities, respectively.

The main difference between an ER diagram and a Relational Model is the level of abstraction and detail they provide. An ER diagram focuses on the conceptual design of the database, capturing the entities, relationships, and attributes at a high level. It helps in understanding the requirements and relationships between different entities in the system.

On the other hand, a Relational Model focuses on the logical design of the database, providing a more detailed and concrete representation of the database structures. It translates the conceptual design captured in the ER diagram into tables, relationships, and attributes that can be implemented in a relational database management system (RDBMS).

In the case of designing a database system for DonationDollars, the ER diagram would capture entities such as “Company,” “Donor,” “Donation,” and “Organization.” It would specify the relationships between these entities, such as “Company has Donors,” “Donor makes Donations,” and “Donation goes to Organization.” The attributes of each entity would be identified, such as “Donor name,” “Donation amount,” and “Organization name.”

The Relational Model, on the other hand, would translate these entities, relationships, and attributes into tables, columns, and rows. For example, the “Company” entity would be represented as a table with columns such as “CompanyID” and “CompanyName.” The “Donor” entity would be represented as a table with columns such as “DonorID” and “DonorName.” The “Donation” entity would be represented as a table with columns such as “DonationID,” “DonationAmount,” and “DonorID.” And the “Organization” entity would be represented as a table with columns such as “OrganizationID” and “OrganizationName.”

In summary, an ER diagram provides a visual representation of the database design at a high level of abstraction, capturing entities, relationships, and attributes. The Relational Model, on the other hand, provides a more detailed and concrete representation of the database design, translating the conceptual design into tables, columns, and rows.