Which term describes a relationship or connection between two entities that can be a part of data modeling and is based on the values of the entities?

• A. Entity
• B. Association
• C. Relationship
• D. Link

Answer: (C)

In data modeling, a relationship is the link that connects two entities based on their data values. It shows how specific instances of one entity correspond to instances of another, usually through keys that tie records together (like a foreign key referencing a primary key). The relationship also captures how many instances can be connected (cardinality), such as one customer to many orders or many-to-many links through an intersection entity. For example, an order row contains a customer identifier that points to a customer, establishing the relationship that a customer places an order. This concept is the best fit because it explicitly describes the connection formed by the data values themselves, rather than the entities being connected or a vague notion of a link. An entity describes the things in the domain; a generic link or association is not the standard modeling construct for expressing how data values relate.