Glossary / Zoom in / zoom out
Zoom in / zoom out
DefinitionZoom in / zoom out means abstracting clusters of entities: an entity is made of further entities and relations — E → (E→∞) ∪ (R→∞).
Sometimes a relational model is very complex. As in mathematics, where a clunky term is set equal to a variable, you can collapse a whole cluster into a single entity (zoom out) — or zoom into an entity and reveal the network inside (zoom in).
Everyone decides for themselves how far to zoom out or in. There is no hard rule. That is exactly what makes this a tool rather than a law.