Process of designing a database’s structure.
Physical design
Deciding on the physical layout of the database.
Logical design
Deciding on the database schema. Affected by business decisions and computer science considerations.
This module focuses on the logical design.
Design approaches
Entity-Relationship Model is used widely.
Normalization
A technique used to ensure the quality of a database design. Explained briefly in Normalization.
Architecture
Architecture of a database system is influenced by the underlying computer system.
Examples:
- Centralized
- Client-server
- Parallel
- Distributed