Entity-Relationship Model (ERM)

This diagram shows the relationships between the main entities in the research database.

Mermaid Diagram

classDiagram

%% === Core Entity Definitions ===

class Kirchliche_Institution {
  +Name : String
  +Typ : List[String]
}

class Fachgremium {
  +Name : String
  +Typ : List[String]
}

class Strafverfolgungsbehörde {
  +Name : String
  +Typ : List[String]
}

class Beschuldigter {
  +Nummer : String
  +Vorname : String
  +Nachname : String
  +Geschlecht : String
  +Geburtsdatum : Date
  +Geburtsdatum_gesichert : Boolean
  +Sterbedatum : Date
  +Institutioneller_Kontext : List[Page]
  +Funktion : List[String]
  +Weihegrad : String
  +Weihedatum : Date
}

class Betroffener {
  +Nummer : String
  +Vorname : String
  +Nachname : String
  +Geschlecht : String
  +Geburtsdatum : Date
  +Geburtsdatum_gesichert : Boolean
  +Institutioneller_Kontext : List[Page]
}

class Fall {
  +Betroffener : Page
  +Beschuldigter : Page
  +Funktion : List[String]
  +Tatzeitpunkt_Tatzeitraum : String
  +Frequenz : String
  +Physischer_Kontakt : String
  +Art_des_Missbrauch : List[String]
  +Tatort : List[String]
  +Kanton : String
  +Tatkontext : String
  +Institutioneller_Kontext : List[Page]
  +Meldung_an_Kirche : Date
  +Ägide : String
  +Fachgremien : List[Page]
  +Kanonische_Voruntersuchung : String
  +Genugtuungskommission_behandelt : String
  +Strafverfolgungsbehörden_informiert : String
  +Strafverfolgungsbehörden : List[Page]
  +Strafverfolgungsbehörden_Urteil : String
  +Informationsstabilität : String
  +Alter_Betroffener : String
  +Alter_Betroffener_gesichert : Boolean
  +Alter_Betroffener_operationalisiert : String
  +Alter_Beschuldigter : String
  +Alter_Beschuldigter_gesichert : Boolean
  +Beziehung_Betroffener_Beschuldigter : List[String]
}

%% === Relationships ===

Fall --> Betroffener : Betroffener
Fall --> Beschuldigter : Beschuldigter
Fall --> Kirchliche_Institution : Institutioneller_Kontext
Fall --> Fachgremium : Fachgremien
Fall --> Strafverfolgungsbehörde : Strafverfolgungsbehörden
Beschuldigter --> Kirchliche_Institution : Institutioneller_Kontext
Betroffener --> Kirchliche_Institution : Institutioneller_Kontext

Entity Descriptions

FALL (Case)

Central entity representing an individual case of abuse. Links affected persons, accused persons, institutions, and authorities.

BETROFFENER (Affected Person)

Represents a victim or affected person. May be linked to multiple cases and institutions.

BESCHULDIGTER (Accused Person)

Represents an accused individual. May be affiliated with multiple institutions and involved in multiple cases.

KIRCHLICHE_INSTITUTION (Church Institution)

Represents a church institution (diocese, parish, religious order, school, etc.) where abuse occurred or that is relevant to a case.

STRAFVERFOLGUNGSBEHOERDE (Law Enforcement Authority)

Represents a prosecuting authority or law enforcement agency involved in investigating or prosecuting cases.

FACHGREMIUM (Expert Committee)

Represents an expert panel, review board, or commission that evaluates cases, provides assessments, or makes recommendations.

Relationship Descriptions

FALL ↔︎ BETROFFENER

A case involves one or more affected persons. An affected person may be involved in multiple cases.

FALL ↔︎ BESCHULDIGTER

A case involves one or more accused persons. An accused person may be involved in multiple cases.

FALL ↔︎ KIRCHLICHE_INSTITUTION

A case is associated with one or more church institutions (location of abuse, institution of accused, etc.).

FALL ↔︎ STRAFVERFOLGUNGSBEHOERDE

A case may be reported to or investigated by law enforcement authorities.

FALL ↔︎ FACHGREMIUM

A case may be reviewed or evaluated by expert committees.

BESCHULDIGTER ↔︎ KIRCHLICHE_INSTITUTION

An accused person may be affiliated with one or more church institutions (employment, membership, assignment).

BETROFFENER ↔︎ KIRCHLICHE_INSTITUTION

An affected person may have contacted or been associated with church institutions.

Normalization Notes

The data model follows Third Normal Form (3NF) principles:

  1. No repeating groups: Each entity has atomic values
  2. Full functional dependency: All non-key attributes depend on the entire primary key
  3. No transitive dependencies: Non-key attributes depend only on the primary key

This enables:

  • Detection of patterns across entities (e.g., repeated transfers of accused clergy)
  • Flexible querying and reporting
  • Data integrity through referential constraints
  • Scalability as the research progresses

Source Criticism Integration

The data model integrates Quellenkritik (source criticism) as a scored assessment rather than simple truth values:

  • Each FALL includes a quellenkritik_score field
  • Scores assess source reliability, provenance, and institutional perspective
  • Enables quantitative analysis of concealment strategies
  • Supports detection of systemic patterns in documentation

EDTF Date Handling

The model uses Extended Date/Time Format (EDTF) for dates that may be:

  • Uncertain (e.g., “circa 1985”)
  • Approximate (e.g., “mid-1980s”)
  • Partial (e.g., “1985” without day/month)
  • Ranges (e.g., “1985/1990”)

See edtf-documentation.md for details.

Future Extensions

Potential extensions to the data model:

  1. Archival Sources: Link cases to specific archival documents and collections
  2. Temporal Tracking: Add versioning to track changes in case status over time
  3. Geographic Data: Add geospatial coordinates for mapping and spatial analysis
  4. Document Attachments: Reference system for scanned documents (stored securely)
  5. Network Analysis: Enhanced relationship tracking for social network analysis

References

  • Semantic MediaWiki: https://www.semantic-mediawiki.org/
  • Cargo Extension: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Cargo
  • EDTF Specification: https://www.loc.gov/standards/datetime/
Back to top