The In-Time Paradigm

The In-Time Paradigm attempts to document time-dependent constraint rules on relationship cardinality. Without such constraints, entity cardinality increases dramatically over time, resulting in data performance issues or premature data archiving requirements.

Rationale

Creating associative relationships between fundamental or attributive entities and various "time" related entity types is cumbersome.

If many time dependencies exist on a single project, the model becomes extremely cluttered quickly.

Associative entities require that the units of time involved by "hard coded" according to what time-related entity is involved.

Under this paradigm, these associations are modeled as attributive entities in time.

The levels of detail for the units of time are resolved later in the modeling process by the unique identifiers of the attributive entities.

In fact, time periods should be synchronized by seleting unique identifiers that are the least common denominators of the various timing factors.

Frequency of occurence is a process model statistic. It shouldn't be limited by hard-wiring in the logical data model.

Trigger

Existence of infinaite maximum relationship cardinalities when the entire life span of the entities is taken into account.