The (Elementary) Mathematical Data Model Revisited

TL;DR

This paper revisits the Elementary Mathematical Data Model ((E)MDM), emphasizing its set-theoretic foundation and extensive constraints to ensure high data plausibility and quality in databases.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive version of the (E)MDM with detailed constraints, demonstrating its effectiveness through real-life examples and comparison with existing family tree software.

Findings

Rich set of 76 constraints enhances data plausibility.

Model guarantees high syntactical data quality.

Illustrative example scheme demonstrates practical applicability.

Abstract

This paper presents the current version of our (Elementary) Mathematical Data Model ((E)MDM), which is based on the na\"ive theory of sets, relations, and functions, as well as on the first-order predicate calculus with equality. Many real-life examples illustrate its 4 types of sets, 4 types of functions, and 76 types of constraints. This rich panoply of constraints is the main strength of this model, guaranteeing that any data value stored in a database is plausible, which is the highest possible level of syntactical data quality. A (E)MDM example scheme is presented and contrasted with some popular family tree software products.