Learning Relational Databases

Learn how databases work and how you can start designing one of your own.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know
• Exercise files

1. Relational Database Basics

• Database management systems (DBMS)
• Relational structures
• Get to know your RDBMS options
• The database development lifecycle

2. Preventing Data Anomalies

• Relational database advantages
• Remove duplicate information
• Eliminate inconsistent data
• Break data down into its components
• Prevent data conflicts
• Require complete information
• Maintain a consistent structure

3. Gathering Requirements

• Understand the goal
• Review the current system
• Discover actors and tasks
• Interview the client
• Work with historical values
• Identify exceptions and irregularities

4. Developing the Conceptual Data Model

• Understand entities and tables
• Develop relationships
• Develop subtypes and supertypes
• Utilize lookup tables
• Draft the initial data model

5. Normalizing Your Data

• Identify key fields
• First normal form
• Second normal form
• Third normal form
• Denormalization

6. Logical Design Considerations

• Follow a naming convention
• Data types and precision
• Create junction tables
• Apply integrity constraints
• Enforce referential integrity
• Build indexes

7. Developing the Physical Database

• Move from planning to construction
• Create the tables in Access
• Establish relationships in Access
• Write queries in Access
• Create the tables in SQL Server
• Establish relationships in SQL Server
• Create views in SQL Server

Conclusion

• Implement the plan
• Next steps