Database design is the process of creating a database. A well-designed database provides the right data at the right time in the right format. This guide will introduce the basics of database design.

Key Concepts

  • Entity: A person, place, or thing that can be distinguished from other items.
  • Attribute: A property or characteristic of an entity.
  • Relationship: A connection between two or more entities.

Database Design Steps

  1. Requirements Gathering: Understand the requirements of the database.
  2. Conceptual Design: Create an entity-relationship (ER) diagram.
  3. Logical Design: Translate the ER diagram into a relational schema.
  4. Physical Design: Optimize the schema for performance.
  5. Implementation: Create the database using a database management system (DBMS).

Example

Suppose you are designing a database for a library. The entities might include Books, Authors, and Readers. The relationships might include Author of (between Books and Authors) and Borrowed by (between Books and Readers).

Library Database Example

For more information on database design, check out our Advanced Database Design Guide.

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