Database Design

Announcements

• Database Design Resources

  Arnie RowlandMVPWednesday, December 23, 2009 8:40 PM

  The following list of database design resources is not intended to be exhaustive or ‘the correct list’. Items are included simply because one of the Moderators knew the material and offered it as a suggestion. If you wish to offer suggestions for inclusion, please do so.

   

  Books

   

  A Developer's Guide to Data Modeling for SQL Server: Covering SQL Server 2005 and 2008

  Eric Johnson and Joshua Jones

  An Introduction to Database Systems

  Chris Date

  Applied Mathematics for Database Professionals

  Lex de Haan, Toon Koppelaars

  Architecting Regulatory-Compliant Architectures
  Mike Walker, Microsoft

  Data Modeling Essential

  Graeme Simsion and Graham Witt

  Database Modeling and Design: Logical Design

  Toby Teorey

  Information Modeling and Relational Databases

  Terry Halpin

  Practical Issues in Database Management: A Reference for the Thinking Practitioner

  Fabian Pascal

  Pro SQL Server 2008 Relational Database Design and Implementation

  Louis Davidson, Kevin Kline, et al

   

  Online Resources

   

  A Simple Guide to Five Normal forms and Relational Database Theory
  http://www.bkent.net/Doc/simple5.htm

  Data Modeling vs. Database Design
  http://www.aisintl.com/case/library/R-Theory_vs_ER/r-theory_vs_er.html

  Data Models
  http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/index.htm

  Database Design - Ten Common Database Design Mistakes, Louis Davidson
  http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/ten-common-database-design-mistakes/

  Database Design Issues -EAV Model Discussion (Querying an EAV Table)
  http://tinyurl.com/yks8hu

  Database Design Issues –EAV and OTLT
  http://tonyandrews.blogspot.com/2004/10/otlt-and-eav-two-big-design-mistakes.html

  Database Design ROI by Paul Nielsen
  http://www.sqlserverbible.com/files/databasedesignroi.pdf

  Introduction to the Unified Dimensional Model (UDM)
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms345143(SQL.90).aspx

  Library of database models
  http://www.databaseanswers.org/data_models/

  On Normalization and Repeating Groups by Fabian Pascal
  http://www.dbdebunk.com/page/page/622318.htm

  ORM white paper
  http://www.orm.net/pdf/ORMwhitePaper.pdf

  Overview of the Relational Model
  http://www.utexas.edu/its/archive/windows/database/datamodeling/rm/overview.html   

  Understanding Data Model Quality, Graeme Simsion
  http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5100

   

• Please READ before Posting or Replying to Posts

  Arnie RowlandMVPMonday, December 07, 2009 6:27 PM

  Welcome to the Database Design Forum

   

  This is a Forum for questions and discussions about database designs for Microsoft technologies, including: SQL Server, Access, SQL Azure, SQL Express, SQL Compact, etc. Often Database Designs will be generic and can be ported to any vendor's technology. Design problems that are best solved with other technologies will be welcomed and addressed to the best of our knowledge and ability.

   

  We ask that you recognize that database design is a mixture of art and science. You may receive conflicting suggestions, for there can be multiple paths to a workable solution. You will have to use your own judgment and knowledge of your business requirements to determine the best solution for your particular problem. The 'right' design is compounded by many factors, including business, regulatory, hardware/software requirements, as well as staff expertise. We also encourage you to share your experiences with a particular design issue if it will serve to help others encountering similar problems.

   

  In order to receive useful responses, please spend some time and properly present your scenario. Attempts to 'save time and effort' by cutting out parts of the scenario will often lead to wasted time and effort as the suggestions have to be discarded because they don't work with other parts of the unseen puzzle.
  

  
  But there are limits to what you can expect from volunteers through a disconnected medium. The questions most likely to receive a good and targeted answer, are those that present a small problem, that give a very clear description of that problem within its context, and that are placed by people with a fair understanding of the subject who need help getting over a few nasty bumps. The questions that are almost impossible to answer satisfactorily are those that present a huge problem, with no clear description, and asked by someone totally new to the subject matter.
  
  We hope that you will understand when we say that most of us that volunteer our time on this Forum do so in order to help folks learn. We will be pleased if you find the Forum to be useful. However, it is difficult or impossible for us to engage with folks privately. We don't have time to do both, and our commitment is help folks using the Forums.
  
  Do not hesitate to read all of the threads, join in the discussions, offer your own experiences and information, and ask questions to increase your knowlege. Seek out blogs from those who write in a manner that you appreciate, and consider reviewing the Database Design Resources for additional guidance and help.
  

  
  Rules of Conduct

   

  ·         Relevance to Topics: We encourage you to keep your postings as close to the subject as possible.

  ·         Respect: Please be respectful of other participants, and their contributions; avoiding insults, demeaning remarks and slurs.

  ·         Tolerance: Please don’t assume someone’s curtness was meant to insult, slur, or demean you.

  ·         Confidentiality: Confidential information should not be posted. This is a publicly available forum.

  ·         Appropriate Language: Please keep the conversation on a professional level, avoiding any hint of profanity in your interactions.

  ·         Advertising/Solicitation: Advertisements should not be posted, and will be removed.

   

  Forum Moderators may, at their discretion, edit posts for clarity, readability and inappropriate language; split post into separate threads when appropriate; and delete post that do not positively contribute to the thread. Failure to comply with these 'Rules of Conduct' may result in your posts being edited to remove the offending comments, censure, or expulsion from participating in the Forums. The bottom line is: this Forum should feel like a ‘safe’ place to ask hard questions that invoke passionate responses.
  
  Marking Answers

  By their very nature, many database design questions will not have a easily decernible 'answer'. You are encouraged to give folks 'credit' for helping you when appropriate. If someone's response was 'Helpful', use the 'Vote as Helpful' button. If a response answered some part of your question, or provided you one or more clues that led you to a solution, then use the 'Mark as Answer' option. Just as a thread may evolve into multiple questions, it may also have more than one 'Answer'.