Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5. Creating and Managing a
Relational Database
In Part Two, you learned the fundamentals of creating a custom database. You saw that you
could create tables and fields whenever you need them. You learned how to polish layouts
and add features and designs that make your data easy to maintain and analyze. You even
learned how to harness the powerful combination of buttons and scripts.
And you did all those things in an organic fashion; as the need arose, you created elements
that gave your database more power. FileMaker's flexibility let you make these improve-
ments without much advance preparation. But as the databases you create get more sophistic-
ated and the tasks you need them to perform get more complex, you'll find that the right
kinds of planning and preparation make development go more smoothly. It's time to start
thinking like a database developer, so your database can grow as your needs grow.
In this chapter, you'll learn how to create a roadmap for the tables and fields that comprise
your database. (Database nerds called this map their database's
schema
.) Before you define
the first table in your database, it pays to sit down and think about the kinds of data you'll be
storing. Think about the basic tasks the database handles and how those tasks get carried out.
This chapter shows you how to plan your database schema and then start putting that plan in-
to action.
TIP
Go back and read the box on
These Terms Are Relational
if you want to review basic database and
relationship terms before you plunge into the theoretical material ahead.
Understanding Relational Databases
You got your feet wet with relational databases on
Creating a New Table
when you created a
Payment table to track monthly payments for the Lease Document database. You needed to
attach a new payment record to a specific lease document as each payment was made. So you
created a second table and then used a key field in each table to create the relationship
between the two tables. Those two points are what define any relational database:
▪ The database contains more than one table.
▪ Those tables are related to one another by a key field.
