In your textbook readings so far, you have observed that relationships between two entities can be in the form of 1:1, 1:M, or M:M. It is easy for relational databases to be configured for 1:1 and 1:M relationships, but the M:M relationship often causes design and application problems. As a result, we try to separate M:M relationships by adding an associative entity table to simplify the relationships. A common example is between orders and products. An order can contain many products and a product can be found on many orders. This M:M relationship can be simplified by creating an order_lines table.
Explain what an associative entity table is and how it separates the M:M relationship.