| Generalization uses a Bottom-Up approach. | Specialization uses a top-down approach. |
| The SIZE of the schema gets reduced in Generalization. | The size of the schema gets increased in Specialization. |
| Generalization is usually applied to a group of entities. | Specialization can be applied to a single entity. |
| The practice of forming groupings from diverse entity sets is known as Generalization. | The process of forming subgroups inside an entity set is known as Specialization. |
| In Generalization, in order to form a higher entity, the differences and similarities between lower entities are ignored and their union is considered. | In Specialization, lower entities are formed by splitting higher entities. |
| Inheritance does not exist in Generalization. | Inheritance exists in Specialization. |
| Example: Consider the ideas of a Student and a Patient. These two entities will have DISTINCT properties. Student entities, for example, will have Roll No, Name, and Mob No attributes, whereas patient entities will have PId, Name, and Mob No attributes. In this CASE, the Name and Mob No of both the Student and the Patient can be joined as a Person to construct a higher-level entity, which is known as the Generalization Process. | Example: Consider the ACCOUNT of a person as an entity. This will have some properties, such as Acc No and Balance. Other properties of the account entity, such as Current Acc and Savings Acc, may exist. Now that Current Acc has Acc No, Balance, and Transactions, and Savings Acc has Acc No, Balance, and Interest Rate, we may argue that specialized entities inherit characteristics from higher-level entities. |
