3. Principles and Techniques of Database Design

3.1. Techniques in database design

 
  • Requirements Gathering: The first step is to clearly understand the purpose of the database and the data it needs to store.
  • Entity-Relationship Modeling: Creating a visual blueprint that represents the data and the relationships between different data entities.
  • Normalization: A systematic process for organizing data into tables to reduce redundancy and dependency, often involving a series of normal forms (e.g., 1NF, 2NF, 3NF).
  • Denormalization: Intentionally introducing redundancy to improve read performance in specific cases, such as in data warehousing.
  • Indexing: Creating data structures that speed up data retrieval by allowing the database to find rows that match specific criteria more quickly.
  • Data Types: Choosing the most appropriate and efficient data type for each column (e.g., INT, VARCHAR, DATE) to minimize storage and improve performance.
  • Constraints: Applying rules to enforce data integrity, such as primary keys, foreign keys, UNIQUE constraints, and NOT NULL constraints.
  • Naming Conventions: Establishing and following consistent and clear naming conventions for tables, columns, and other objects to improve readability and maintainability.
  • Stored Procedures and Views: Using these to encapsulate logic, improve security, and simplify complex queries.
  • Documentation: Creating and maintaining documentation of the database design for future reference and maintenance