3 Overview of database design

3.1 Overview

In Chapters 1 and 2, you learned the basics of relational databases and SQL. Starting from this chapter, you will embark on your journey of learning database design by designing a database from scratch for the online store The Sci-Fi Collective. In this chapter, you will get an overview of the goals and process of database design. After that, you will jump start the requirement analysis for The Sci-Fi Collective.

3.2 Goals of database design

The overall goal of database design is to deliver a well-structured and efficient database that meets the requirements of the users and organizations. Beyond meeting the requirements from users and organizations, a successful database design typically meets five common goals, including data consistency and integrity, maintainability and ease of use, performance and optimization, data security, scalability and flexibility. In this section, you will take a peek at these common goals to understand better what you should aim to achieve in database design. Let’s get started.

3.2.1 Data consistency and integrity

3.2.2 Maintainability and ease of use

3.2.3 Performance and optimization

3.2.4 Data security

3.2.5 Scalability and flexibility

3.3 Overview of the design process

3.3.1 Requirement gathering

3.3.2 Analysis and design

3.3.3 Implementation/Integration and testing

3.4 Requirement gathering

3.4.1 The goals of the database

3.4.2 Existing databases and other aspects of information management

3.4.3 Interviews

3.5 Summary