Ace the CBAP Exam 2026 – Unleash Your Business Analysis Superpowers!

In an entity-relationship diagram (ERD), the representation of a source or destination of data is depicted by an entity. An entity typically corresponds to a real-world object or concept that holds significance in the data model, such as a person, organization, place, or event. Each entity acts as a distinct object from which data is generated or to which data is applied, thereby serving as a foundational building block in the structure of the data model.

Entities can be visualized as rectangles in an ERD and can have attributes that describe their characteristics. They can also be related to other entities through relationships, which define how two or more entities interact with one another. This is crucial for establishing connections and flows of information in a database, ensuring the proper organization and accessibility of data within a system.

The other concepts present distinct roles within the context of an ERD. Attributes provide additional detail about entities—defining their properties, while constraints establish rules governing the data. Relationships, on the other hand, illustrate how entities interact but do not serve as points of data origin or destination themselves. Each plays an important role, but only entities directly embody sources or destinations of data.