Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Normalization, in the traditional sense, is now transparent to the developer because it is in-
corporated (via the new guidelines) throughout the design process. Another major advant-
age is that the methodology is clear and easy to implement. I believe much of this is due
to the fact that I've written all the guidelines in plain English, making them easy for most
anyone to understand.
It's important for you to understand that this design methodology will yield a fully nor-
malized database structure
only if you follow it as faithfully as you would any other design
methodology.
You cannot shortcut, circumvent, de-emphasize, or omit any part of this
methodology (or any design methodology, for that matter) and expect to develop a sound
structure. You must go through the process diligently, methodically, and completely in or-
der to reap the expected rewards.
Note
I'veprovidedamoredetailed explanation ofhowIincorporatedNormalization in-
to my design methodology in
Appendix G
, “
On Normalization
.
”
There are a few basic terms you'll have to learn before you delve into the design process,
and we'll cover them in the next chapter.
Summary
Atthebeginningofthischapterwelookedattheimportance ofbeingconcernedwithdata-
base design. You now understand that database design is crucial to the integrity and con-
sistency of the data contained in a database. We have seen that the chief problem result-
ing from improper orpoordesign is
inaccurate information.
Proper design is ofparamount
concern because bad design can adversely affect the information used by an organization.
Next, we entered into a discussion of the importance of theory, as well as its relevance
to the relational database model. You learned that the model's foundation in mathematical
theory makes it a very sound and reliable structure.
Following this discussion, we looked at the advantages gained by learning a design meth-
odology. Among other things, using a good methodology yields an efficient and reliable
database structure, reduces the time it takes to design a database, and allows you to avoid
the typical problems caused by poor design.
Next,welistedtheobjectivesofgooddesign.Meetingtheseobjectivesiscrucialtothesuc-
cessofthedatabasedesignprocessbecausetheyhelpyouensurethatthedatabasestructure
issound.Wethenenumeratedtheadvantagesofgooddesign,andyoulearnedthatthetime
you invest in designing a sound database structure is time well spent.
