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Step 1: Start MS Office Visio 2007. The following screen should appear.

Step 2: Choose the template to create an ERD.

The template that is used to create an ERD is called Database Model Diagram (US units). This template can be found under the Software and Database Template Categories, under Featured Templates.

Once the template is highlighted or clicked on. You may click on Create, which is located on the right side of the screen as shown below.

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Step 3: Draw a Crow’s Foot ERD.

Before beginning to draw the ERD, the following changes should be made.(1) Enlarge the drawing board to 100% by selecting it on the drop-down Zoom list box.

This makes it easier to see the details of the drawing.(2) Set the Crow’s foot setting by clicking on Database on the Standard Toolbar, select

Options, select Document, select the Relationship Tab, and click the inside of the radio button next to Crow’s feet as shown below

Creating an Entity:Select the Entity object from the Shapes on the left hand side. Then drag the object to the drawing board. Once that is done, the Database Properties includes a list of categories in which information can be changed or inserted. The default category that is selected is Definition in which the name of the entity can be changed from Table1 to anything else.

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The columns can be added next by selecting the Columns category and subsequently adding the different fields in the textboxes associated with this category.

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Another entity should be added in the same way to establish a relationship.

Establishing a Relationship:The relationship object can be clicked and dragged to the drawing board. Depending on the business rules or relationship type, one end of the relationship line should be selected and dragged over to the entity until the entity object is outlined in red. The other end can be connected to the related entity in the same manner.

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Adding Text to a Relationship Line:To add text to the relationship line one can simply go to Database on the Standard Toolbar, select Options, then Document, and then the Relationship tab. Under Name display, one can simply select Show verb phrase, and select either Forward text, Inverse text, or both. Forward text is the one that is used in most, if not all of the designs in our Database Systems textbook.

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After this point, it is important to remember that to change anything about an object, that object must be selected, and the Database Properties that pertain to that object will appear. For example, to change the text on the relationship line, one must simply select the line by clicking on it. Then, in the Database Properties area, select Name, and change the text in the textbox next to Verb phrase.