Products

• Products
  • Catalogs
  • Inventories
  • Instructions
  • Packagings
  • Parts
  • Sets
  • Books
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What are the products of LEGO®? In a general sense can be counted to the products of LEGO® sets and parts, catalogs, books, instructions and packaging. In addition, there are many related and specific products like printed clothing, computer games, keychains, etc.

What interests us in these pages are mainly the catalogs: which products are listed in the catalogues, for how long and for what price. Hereby we look primarily to (Dutch) catalogues from 1957. Except predominantly sets come here also (ideas) books for, and sometimes loose parts (Windows and doors).

For the design of the underlying database structure we use the Unified Modelling Language (UML), a specification language that defines objects and mutual relations graphically. With these specifications, we gain insight into how the products from LEGO® are related. Central starting point in the design are the catalogues, describes virtually all products listed.

We distinguish a catalog (Catalog) and related entries (CatalogEntry) in this catalog. The relationship is such that there can be multiple entries in a catalog, and also only in this catalog. Thus a catalog entry is unique for a catalog.

A catalogue, a set, parts, etc. are all products (Product). It has a set a special relationship with products: it consists in turn of one or multiple products.

From the above follows that a catalog entry (CatalogEntry) refers to a product: in most cases this is a set, sometimes a book or loose part but would also be just as packaging or instructions are (although that won't happen soon).

With these entities and relationships is the Central design called determined. Except that of course there should be specific data is logged at each entity, such as the title of a book or catalogs and the price at a catalog listing, there are still shaping the language dependency and color variation.

Each product can either be language independent (no language) or 1 or even multiple languages are determined. Catalogues without language, but also come with 1 with multiple languages. The same applies to instructions, packaging, books and sets, and also parts though probably to a much lesser extent, but thinking of printed items with a certain text.

In particular items have a certain color, other products will probably not or sporadically. Catalog entries come with color indications, for example, however, settled for a set of Windows available in colors red and white.

So far the whole design is independent of LEGO® and may also apply for any other brand. The link to a brand is created via product: a product of 1 particular brand (or it is unknown).

This all results in a central design as shown here. Details have been omitted so that it is still somewhat manageable.