Other aspects of the relational model are presented in subsequent parts of the book. Chapter 9 relates the relational model data structures to the constructs of the ER and EER models (presented in Chapters 7 and 8), and presents algorithms for designing a relational database schema by mapping a conceptual schema in the ER or EER model into a relational representation. These mappings are incorporated into many database design and CASE1 tools. Chapters 13 and 14 in Part 5 discuss the programming techniques used to access database systems and the notion of connecting to relational databases via ODBC and JDBC standard protocols.We also introduce the topic of Web database programming in Chapter 14. Chapters 15 and 16 in Part 6 present another aspect of the relational model,namely the formal constraints of functional and multivalued dependencies;these dependencies are used to develop a relational database design theory based on the concept known as normalization. Data models that preceded the relational model include the hierarchical and network models. They were proposed in the 1960s and were implemented in early DBMSs during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Because of their historical importance and the existing user base for these DBMSs, we have included a summary of the highlights of these models in Appendices D and E, which are available on this book’s Companion Website at http://www.aw.com/elmasri. These models and systems are now referred to as legacy database systems. In this chapter, we concentrate on describing the basic principles of the relational model of data. We begin by defining the modeling concepts and notation of the relational model in Section 3.1. Section 3.2 is devoted to a discussion of relational constraints that are considered an important part of the relational model and are automatically enforced in most relational DBMSs. Section 3.3 defines the update operations of the relational model,discusses how violations of integrity constraints are handled, and introduces the concept of a transaction. Section 3.4 summarizes the chapter.