Final answer:
The statement is false because in database design, it is not a requirement that all attributes across different entity types have unique names. Attributes can have the same name if they belong to different entities, and often this signifies different contextual meanings or reflects an inheritance relationship in the database schema.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'It is desirable that no two attributes across all entity types have the same name.' is false. In database design, specifically Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling, each entity type is defined by its attributes, which represent the properties or characteristics of the entity. While it is often helpful that attributes have distinct names for clarity and to avoid confusion, it is not a strict requirement.
Attributes with the same name can exist in different entity types. These attributes, however, are generally contextually different because they belong to different entities. For example, the attribute 'Address' might appear in both 'Customer' and 'Supplier' entities within the same database, and it would represent the customer's address and the supplier's address respectively.
Moreover, there are circumstances where using the same attribute name across different entity types can be beneficial. Inheritance in database design, where a subtype entity inherits attributes from a supertype entity, may lead to attributes with the same name. This situation is often used to illustrate a relationship where the subtype is a specialized version of the supertype, sharing common characteristics.