Screaming Penguin

Data modeling is THE basis for every data driven application. Doing the data model right saves enormous resources down the line and makes everyone generally happier. Recently I was doing some research on the "basics" and found a very good article about data modeling. The article is just a base intro and it defines things like entities, attributes and relationships. These may seem like simple concepts, but making sure everyone understands them and is one the same page is essential. Another good thing to be knowledgeable about for relational databases in normalization. There are 5 (I believe) forms of normalization but most of the time only up to 3rd normal form is required. Normalization is a big part of the picture also, read the linked data modeling article and then familiarize yourself with normalization. Here is the ultra quick lowdown, but do yourself a favor and research this more if you are not already familiar with it.

• What is First Normal Form?
• What is Second Normal Form?
• What is Third Normal Form?

1NF = each attribute of the entity is atomic. 2NF = must be 1NF and each nonkey attribute must be functionally dependent on primary key. 3NF = must be 2NF and all attributed dependent on primary key must be eliminated. Check out the linked articles. Data modeling by author Tim McLellan and more on normalization -- >.   Data Modeling - Finding the perfect fit: Tim McLellan