Example of Database Design Fundamentals

Let’s design a database for a library management system. The system needs to manage books, authors, members, and loans.

Requirements Analysis

• Books: Store details like ISBN, title, and publication year.
• Authors: Each book can have multiple authors.
• Members: Track library members with personal information and membership details.
• Loans: Track which member has borrowed which book and when it is due back.

Conceptual Design

• Entities: Book, Author, Member, Loan
• Attributes:
  • Book: ISBN, Title, PubYear
  • Author: AuthorID, Name
  • Member: MemberID, Name, Email
  • Loan: LoanID, LoanDate, DueDate, MemberID, ISBN
• Relationships:
  • A Book can have multiple Authors.
  • A Member can borrow multiple Books.
  • A Loan links a Member to a Book.

Logical Design

• Tables:
  • Book: ISBN (PK), Title, PubYear
  • Author: AuthorID (PK), Name
  • Member: MemberID (PK), Name, Email
  • Loan: LoanID (PK), LoanDate, DueDate, MemberID (FK), ISBN (FK)
  • BookAuthor: BookID (FK), AuthorID (FK)

Physical Design

• Indexes: Indexes on ISBN, AuthorID, and MemberID to speed up searches.
• Storage: Use SSDs for fast read/write operations.
• Partitioning: Partition the Loan table by year to improve query performance.

Database design is important for managing and organizing data effectively. It ensures data is stored efficiently, retrieved quickly, and maintained consistently. A well-designed database significantly enhances the performance and usability of applications.

In this article we will explore the basics of database design, covering key stages: requirements analysis, conceptual design, logical design, and physical design. We’ll also look at a practical example to illustrate these concepts.