Final answer:
To transform an M-N relationship into an associative entity type and two identifying 1-M relationships, introduce a new entity type called 'Association' with attributes specific to the relationship. Replace the original M-N relationship with 1-M relationships between 'Association' and the original entity types.
Step-by-step explanation:
An M-N relationship in an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) represents a many-to-many relationship between two entity types. To transform this M-N relationship into an associative entity type and two identifying 1-M relationships, we can introduce a new entity type that represents the relationship between the two original entity types. Let's call this new entity type 'Association'.
The 'Association' entity type will have attributes that are specific to the relationship between the two original entity types. For example, if the M-N relationship is between 'Student' and 'Course', we can include attributes such as 'EnrollmentDate' and 'Grade' in the 'Association' entity type.
The original M-N relationship can then be replaced with two identifying 1-M relationships. For example, the 'Association' entity type can have a 1-M relationship with 'Student', where one 'Association' entity is associated with one 'Student' entity. Similarly, the 'Association' entity type can have another 1-M relationship with 'Course'. This way, each 'Association' entity is linked to one 'Course' entity.