Relational database design

i apologise in advance for the banality of this question, i
have been designing basic sites for my business for years and am
comfortable with html, and have recently designed a complex site
havig susssed .css and coldfusion code written though dw.
I CANNOT MAKE THE LEAP TO GET MY HEAD ROUND RELATIONAL
DATABASES and want to integrate some dynamic application forms
(which i can code in CF).
Can anyone point me towards a resource that will walk me
though how to build a simple (then a complex) relational database
that wont send me to sleep or make my eyes glaze over.
Its a brain block that is now causing me stress, but i just
dont get it...
SAVE ME
Ta

no worries. i can sympathize with trying to grasp new
concepts. problem is that double posting just makes it more
difficult for people to follow the thread(s).

Similar Messages

Searching for a good relational database design tool

Hi!
I am designing an oracle database for our plant, and I want to use a entity-relationship diagram tool to create it.
I want to design the data diagram with it, and generate creation code and run it to create the DB on our oracle server.
I would appreciate that someone suggest good quality tools that can be used to do entity-relationship diagrams and implement the db not only on oracle, but to SQL server as well, as future designs for other projects may be implemented in SQL server.
A small list of quality tools with their noteworthy features would be greatly appreciated.
Best wishes to all!

For Oracle database, Oracle Designer is the best.
If you want to be able to use it for various databases you might think of:
- ERwin
- Embarcadero ER Studio
- Sybase power designer

Suggestion: Create a Database Design Forum

I recommend the creation of a new forum dealing exclusively with database design questions, such as setting Primary Keys, Unique constraints, Check constraints, Indexes, schema-creation scripts, etc. There is no forum devoted exclusively to this topic now and I feel it would be very helpful to the user community. It would certainly make searching for answers to design questions much easier.

Billy Verreynne wrote:
Prohan wrote:
I don't agree there.
1. How to create a relational model certainly IS relevant to Oracle, which is a RELATIONAL DBMS.Oracle also supports data warehousing (star schema designs), network/hierarchical designs, object-relational designs - or pretty much any data model that you may come up with. Calling it just a relational DBMS is incorrect.
2. Your point that logical models are independent of specific technology is correct. What you're missing is that if a specific technology makes use of a certain foundational body of knowledge, that knowledge is a legitimate topic for a forum whose users use that specific technology.That is putting the cart in front of the horse IMO.
I would rather see data modeling and logical database design being done in a way that is untainted with specific vendor implementations and technology used. There needs to be a clear line dividing the design from the implementation. If not, then design decisions can (and will) be made based not on the correct logical data modeling principles, but whether it can be "handled" by the technology. A design that is tainted like that, will always be less than optimal (especially as technology is continually evolving and changing).
An OTN forum for database design will invariable be tainted with Oracle technology - and instead of learning sound data modeling fundamentals, a warped view of data modeling will be conveyed. Where doing abc will be acceptable (when it is not), because Oracle has feature xyz that can make the flawed design work (in a fashion).Excellent points. I think (or at least hope) such a forum would attract some number of pure theorists to straighten out the view. This might make for a lively forum, and might actually influence the real products, and might even get the cart on the right side of the horse.
Hmmm, I guess I do sound hopelessly optimistic.

Logical Database design and physical database implementation

Hi
I am an ORACLE DBA basically and we started a proactive server dashboard portal ,which basically reports all aspects of our infrastructure (Dev,QA and Prod,performance,capacity,number of servers,No of CPU,decomissioned date,OS level,Database patch level) etc..
This has to be done entirely by our DBA team as this is not externally funded project.Now i was asked to do " Logical Database design and physical Database
implementation"
Even though i know roughly what's that mean(like designing whole set of tables in star schema format) ,i have never done this before.
In my mind i have a rough set of tables that can be used but again i think there is lot of engineering involved in this area to make sure that we do it properly.
I am wondering you guys might be having some recommendations for me in the sense where to start?are there any documents online , are there any book on this topic?Are there any documents which explain this phenomena with examples ?
Also exactly what is the difference between logical database design vs physical database implementation
Thanks and Regards

Logical database design is the process of taking a business or conceptual data model (often described in the form of an Entity-Relationship Diagram) and transforming that into a logical representation of that model using the specific semantics of the database management system. In the case of an RDBMS such as Oracle, this representation would be in the form of definitions of relational tables, primary, unique and foreign key constraints and the appropriate column data types supported by the RDBMS.
Physical database implementation is the process of taking the logical database design and translating that into the actual DDL statements supported by the target RDBMS that will create the database objects in a target RDBMS database. This will generally include specific physical implementation details such as the specification of tablespaces, use of specialised indexing (bitmap, clustered etc), partitioning, compression and anything else that relates to how data will actually be physically stored inside the database.
It sounds like you already have a physical implementation? If so, you can reverse engineer this implementation into a design tool such as SQL Developer Data Modeller. This will create a logical design by examining the contents of the Oracle data dictionary. Even if you don't have an existing database, Data Modeller is a good tool to use as a starting point for logical and even conceptual/business models.
If you want to read anything about logical design, "An Introduction to Database Systems" by Date is always a good starting point. "Database Systems - A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation and Management" by Connolly & Begg is also an excellent reference.

Database design for objects with multiple states

Context
I'm designing a database which, simplified, should be able to handle users sending job requests to each other, and after that a job can be started, finished, and reviewed. The design should be scalable (think millions of users).
Approaches I've considered:
Gargantuan table
One approach, probably not the best one, would be to simply store ALL jobs in one, huge table
jobs. This table would need a state column to represent which state the job is currently in (e.g.
ACCEPTED, STARTED, FINISHED, REVIEWED e.t.c.). The biggest problem with this approach that I can see is that jobs in different states have different types of data that are relevant to them. For example, a
job request has a preliminary agreed upon price, but that could change before the job is started, and change again before the job is finished. This could of course be solved by just adding more columns to the table and naming them properly, but it will probably
become a huge bottleneck performance-wise very early to have one table containing all the different types of possible data for all the different possible states of a job.
Different tables for different states
This approach would be to have multiple tables, for example job_requests,
jobs_started, jobs_finished, tables who in turn can have substates, e.g.
job_requests could have the sub-states PENDING, ACCEPTED, while the
jobs_finished table would have the substates COMPLETED,
CANCELLED, REVIEWED.
With this approach each table only contains data which is relevant to the current job state, but on the other hand some data might be duplicated (for example the user ids of the job requester, and job receiver -- on the other hand this information could
be stored in yet another table?). The problem with this approach is that I can't think of a good solution on how to archive all the information when transitioning between states. For example, once a job request has been accepted, and then started, it should
be deleted from the job_requests table and moved into the jobs_started table, but it's just a matter of time before a stakeholder wants to know for example how long the average time is between a job request being created, until it's
been started, at which point I'd need the data from the job_requests table to be able to calculate it.
It feels like this type of problem should be easy to solve, but I really can't think of any good solution which "feels right", any solution I come up with feels ugly and I can immediately think of a number of things which makes the solution bad.
Very grateful for any feedback or tips on approaches I could take. Thanks in advance!

This will be moved to the design fourm, which I don't monitor, by a moderator within a day or so.
A table in a relational database is supposed to model a unique entity. Job is such an entity. But "Jobs in Washingon state" and "Jobs in Oregon" are two such unique entities.
I don't see why jobs in different states would have different attributes, but it is not my business domain. And the problem certainly appears in other areas. My area is financial instruments, and they come in many flavours. And still have many attributes
in common.
So what we do is that we have a table instruments which holds common data. And then there are tables like funds, futures, bonds, optionandwarrants etc that holds attributes that unique to these classes of instruments. These specific tables are child tables
to the instruments tables.
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, [email protected]

Good database design and modelling books

Hi ,
I need to work on designing a database from the scratch by creating logical database design and then physical database design.I'm new to database design.
Can someone please point me to some good database design and modelling related books /tutorials.
Regards,
Bharath.

bharathDBA wrote:
Hi Girish Thanks for the information.
I would definitely look into this book later.
I don't mind paying any amount of money,if that book gives me the knowledge I want.
As this book is international edition,for shipping it is taking 8-10 business days and by that time I need to complete designing my database and probably I might need to some other book.
Is this a school assignment? I hope so. Referring back to your opening statement "I need to work on designing a database from the scratch by creating logical database design and then physical database design.I'm new to database design." I can only say that database design is a very big subject. If you are starting from a position of no knowledge at all, I'm afraid there is nothing that is going to give you the knowledge you need in the time frame you have. I will say you need to start by learning the rules of Data Normalization. Make your logical design Third Normal Form. Good can be your friend. There is actually a pretty good write-up on Data Normalization on Wikipedia.

Database design for share market

Hi One and All,
I have a query regarding, design of New database....
Right now I joined as a Database administrator as a fresher, my superior has given me one assignment i.e. I have to create a sample database on Share market. As per his requirement the tables should be Issuer table, Security table, Broker table, INvestor table, Account table, Order table, Tradeing table. He said that I have to prepare the fiellds for this tables and relation ships and whole database structure.... I can prepare relations ships and database structure but the problem is, I don't know how the stock market is really works. If any body help me in this issue I am very thank full to him.
I need just the table feilds, if I get this rest of job i wil do by studying the subject of share market.
Thank You

Hi,
As per Hemant this forum is not appropriate for this question. However you have to analyze the system by meetings with stock broker at stock Exchange or to the client for which you are designing the system. Ask your superior to arrange meeting with client and then ask question to him so that you can made database design for them.
Regards,
Abbasi

SIMPLE Database Design Problem !

Mapping is a big problem for many complex applications.
So what happens if we put all the tables into one table called ENTITY?
I have more than 300 attributeTypes.And there will be lots of null values in the records of that single table as every entityType uses the same table.
Other than wasting space if I put a clustered index on my entityType coloumn in that table.What kind of performance penalties to I get?
Definition of the table
ENTITY
EntityID > uniqueidentifier
EntityType > Tells the entityTypeName
Name >
LastName >
CompanyName > 300 attributeTypes
OppurtunityPeriod >
PS:There is also another table called RELATION that points the relations between entities.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
check the coloumn with WHERE _entityType='PERSON'
as there is is clustered index on entityType...there
is NO performance decrease.
there is also a clustered index on RELATION table on
relationType
when we say WHERE _entityType ='PERSON' or
WHERE relationType='CONTACTMECHANISM'.
it scans the clustered index first.it acts like a
table as it is physically ordered.I was thinking in terms of using several conditions in the same select, such as
WHERE _entityType ='PERSON'
AND LastName LIKE 'A%' In your case you have to use at least two indices, and since your clustered index comes first ...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Have you ever thought of using constraints in your
modell? How would you realize those?
...in fact we did.We have arranged the generic object
model in an object database.The knowledge information
is held in the object database.So your relational database is used only as a "simple" storage, everything has go through your object database.
But the data schema is held in the RDBMS with code
generation that creates a schema to hold data.If you think that this approach makes sense, why not.
But in able to have a efficent mapping and a good
performance we have thought about building only one
table.The problem is we know we are losing some space
but the thing is harddisk is much cheaper than RAM
and CPU.So our trade off concerated on the storage
cost.But I still wonder if there is a point that I
have missed in terms performance?Just test your approach by using sufficiently data - only you know how many records you have to store in your modell.
PS: it is not wise effective using generic object
models also in object databases as CPU cost is a lot
when u are holding the data.I don't know if I'd have taken your approach - using two database systems to hold data and business logic.
PS2: RDBMS is a value based system where object
databases are identity based.we are trying to be in
the gray area of both worlds.Like I wrote: if your approach works and scales to the required size, why not? I would assume that you did a load test with your approach.
What I would question though is that your discussing a "SIMPLE Database Design" problem. I don't see anything simple in your approach when it comes to implementation.
C.

Database design for the Project System!

Hi
I need the database design schema for the Project System .
For example with the transaction code CJ20N at the left side all the Project Hierarchy is tabulated.
I want to know the relations between tables ?
Would you please help me ?

look logical database PSJ with tcode SE36
grx. A.

DataBase Design

Hello Friends!
I am new in database design. I design a database for a company which sale their products. The company has their outlets in four regions i.e. (North, South, East and WEST) and they want to check their sale of the Product.. The sample reportâs format and data are shown below:
1.     Product-Wise Monthly Sale
Sale for the Month of July-2004
     Books     NoteBooks     Pen     Pencils
Schools     25     10     50     25
Colleges     15     5     10     3
Universities     6     30     14     3
Government     2     27     6     1
Others     21     32     54     8
TOTAL:     69     104     134     40
2.     Sector-Wise Annual Sale
Sale for the Year 2004-05
     Books     NoteBooks     Pen     Pencils
Schools     25     10     50     25
Colleges     15     5     10     3
Universities     6     30     14     3
Government     2     27     6     1
Others     21     32     54     8
TOTAL:     69     104     134     40
3.     Sale of Product for the current and previous years
Sale by Product
     2001-02     2002-03     2003-04     2004-05
Books     10     5     15     25
NoteBooks     10     5     15     25
Pens     10     5     15     25
Pencils     10     5     15     25
TOTAL:     40     20     60     100
3.     Sale by Sector for the current and previous years
Sale by Sector
     2001-02     2002-03     2003-04     2004-05
Schools     10     5     15     25
Colleges     10     5     15     25
Universities     10     5     15     25
Government     10     5     15     25
Others     40     20     60     100
TOTAL:     80     40     120     200
4.     Region-Wise Sale for the current and previous years.
Sale by Region
     2001-02     2002-03     2003-04     2004-05
East     10     5     15     25
West     10     5     15     25
North     10     5     15     25
South     10     5     15     25
TOTAL:     40     20     60     100
With the help of above reports I design the following database. Please let me tell whether the following database design is ok or not otherwise please suggest me how to improve it so that i can get the result as per given the above-format.
Year (Table)
YearID int
Description Varchar2
Period_From Date
Period_To Date
Current logical
Month (Table)
MonthID int (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12)
MonthDescription varchar2 (Jan,Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Aug, Sept, Aug, Oct, Nov, Dec)
StartDate Date
EndDate Date
Region(Table)
RegionID int (1,2,3,4)
RegionName varchar2 (East, West, North, South)
Sector (Table)
SectorID int (1,2,3,4,5)
Sector Varchar2 (School, Colleges, University, Government, Others)
Product (Table)
ProductID int (1,2,3,4)
ProdName varchar2 (Books, NoteBooks, Pen, Pencil)
Sale (Table)
SaleID int
ProductID int
Product varchar2
Sale int
RegionId int
SectorID int
MonthID int
YearID int
Thanks.
(BASIT)

how could we get the report of previous five years sale of the products.
SELECT trunc(sale_date, 'YYYY'), sum(sale_qty)
FROM   sales
WHERE sale_date >= add_months(sysdate-60)
GROUP BY trunc(sale_date, 'YYYY')
suggest whether dropped Product name from the sale table as I already have a column prodid in it?Yes. Duplicated data is a Bad Thing. This is Rule #1 of the late Dr. Codd's 12 rules. These are the foundationstones of good relation design. Wikipedia has a good introduction to them.
Cheers, APC

Why sql sever database design is used for essbas?

Hi
I am new to the Hyperion technology . i would like to know why do we use any RDBM like sql sever database design for essbase which is itself is the database.What is the main difference between these two databases?
My understanding is that Essbase act as same as SSAS for cube and dimension building.And they use database design for storing the tables and other information.
Thanks

A relational database can be used for a number of reasons with Essbase (and is required in some instances). These include
1. a repository for system tables for Shared services, EAS, Studio,EPMA, Workspace, Financial Management etc
2. A data source for loading Essbase
3. A work area for transformations

Need a sample Oracle Database Design Document

Looking for a sample database design document.
Which may include below high level steps if possible.
1. Hardware & software specifications.
2. Database Sizing/ estimate.
3. Schema Design
4. Data transformations/ feeds
Thanks
Mallikharjuna

user8919741 wrote:
Looking for a sample database design document.
Which may include below high level steps if possible.
If you Google "database design document" you'll see that there are many templates available. I've never used any such document, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find one that fits your business needs exactly (assuming there are business needs behind your request).
1. Hardware & software specifications.
2. Database Sizing/ estimate.I would suggest you analyze existing workloads and base your estimates on that. If there is no existing workload you'll have to estimate one based on how many users you estimate will use the solution, or some other clever estimation method.
3. Schema Design This is a matter of translating business/application requirements to what needs to be stored in the relational database, and creating a data model based upon that. Every model will be different.
4. Data transformations/ feedsYou could simply document each transformation/feed and purpose.
Thanks
Mallikharjuna

JDBC for non-relational Databases.

Hi All,
correct me if I am wrong in my understanding,
1. JDBC are a set of specifications (as interfaces etc..) which each
vendor is expected to provide implementation.
2. JDBC is for relationsla databases only (like oracle,MySQL etc..) it
does not take into account the access to non-relational databases.
3. If 2 is true, is there an equivalent of JDBC for non-relational
databases?
TIA.

1. JDBC are a set of specifications (as interfaces etc..) which each
vendor is expected to provide implementation.
Broadly speaking, yes. It doesn't have to be the vendor that provides the implementation, and an ODBC driver (to be used via the JdbcOdbc bridge) is adequate if a native JDBC driver is not available.
2. JDBC is for relationsla databases only (like oracle,MySQL etc..) it
does not take into account the access to non-relational databases.
It expects tabular results. Aside from that I don't think it mandates anything about the design of the underlying system. Certainly it's entirely agnostic about syntactic issues.
For example, it can talk to Excel spreadsheets, via the JdbcOdbc bridge, and Excel is by no stretch of the imagination a relational database. IMS is not a relational database, but that has a JDBC driver.
3. If 2 is true, is there an equivalent of JDBC for non-relational
databases?
2 is not true, and I'm not aware of any "non relational" database connection standard, probably for this very reason. There may well be vendor specific tools for talking to some systems.

ModelRight database design tool

Just wanted to let everyone know that ModelRight 2 was recently released. ModelRight 2 is a database design tool that has advanced support for Oracle. It has support for many advanced Oracle features, like materialized views, function-based indexes, Object Relational types, tables and views, index-organized tables, lobs, all the physical properties, etc. Check it out at www.modelright.com.

Thanks...? $395 :-)

Database Design Pattern

hi all,
I am developing a J2SE application which is communicating with two DB schemas.
Do any one suggest any good design pattern to manage these type of situation.
I was thinking to create two DAO classess for two different DB schemas?
I am using oracle 10g as database.
Regards

Keep in mind that Oracle is not a database. Oracleis a database management system (DBMS).
RDBMS, no? Both acronyms apply; Oracle is a DBMS and a RDBMS.
Then what is the official name for the
database itself? There is no official name for "the" database, because Oracle is not a database. Oracle, SQL Server, etc. are software for managing relational databases. They provide users with the ability to create relational databases. They provide various transactional and security features related to relational databases. They host a query language interpreter so that users can search relational databases. They have internal systems databases for managing the databases that users create.

Relational database design

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