What is the purpose of Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling in database design?

Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling serves the purpose of visually representing relationships between data entities within a database. This graphical representation allows database designers to map out the structure of their data, including how different entities relate to one another, the attributes of those entities, and the nature of their connections (whether one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many). By using ER diagrams, designers can effectively communicate the data requirements and structure to stakeholders, facilitating a clearer understanding of how data will be organized and accessed.

This visual framework is crucial for the initial phases of database design, aiding in the identification of necessary data and ensuring that the database will meet the requirements of its intended use. By laying out entities and their relationships, ER modeling helps prevent potential issues with data integrity, normalization, and performance that could arise if the relationships are not properly understood or documented.

Given this understanding, the other options do not align with the primary purpose of ER modeling. Data redundancy is not a goal of ER modeling; rather, it aims to reduce redundancy. Managing user access pertains to database security rather than the design structure itself. Finally, the conversion of databases to flat files is a separate process that does not relate to the relational representation of data.