8.2. Barker Notation
We use the term “Barker notation” for the ER notation discussed in the classic treatment by Richard Barker (Barker, 1990a). Originating in the late 1980s at CACI in the United Kingdom, the notation was later adopted by Oracle Corporation in its CASE design tools. Oracle now supports UML as an alternative to the Barker ER notation, although for database applications, many modelers still prefer the Barker notation over UML. Recently, Embarcadero has added basic support for the Barker notation in its EA/Studio product. Although dozens of ER dialects exist, we consider the Barker notation to be the best ER notation with wide support in industry.
Dave Hay, an experienced modeler and fan of the Barker notation, argues that “UML ...
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