Final answer:
The key part of conceptual design in an entity-relationship model is to provide a high-level, global view of the database, outlining the main entities and relationships between them while avoiding detailed specifics. The correct answer to the question is: a.) This model is a global view of the entire database that describes the main objects while avoiding details.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key part of conceptual design in an entity-relationship model is essentially about creating a broad outline of the database structure which focuses on identifying the main objects and the relationships between them. The correct answer to the question is: This model is a global view of the entire database that describes the main objects while avoiding details.
Conceptual design serves as an abstraction that defines the structure of the database at a high level without getting bogged down by detailed specifics. It provides a framework that helps in understanding the database without delving into implementation details such as column names, data types, or constraints. The entity-relationship model, in its conceptual phase, does not use table names or include complete table structures; rather, it illustrates entities (typically represented by nouns) and the relationships (often verbs or associations) between these entities.
Other steps mentioned like interviewing customers, looking at existing products, and using concept combination tables are methods used to develop and refine designs through various stages.