Fundamentals of Database Design

What is a database A database is any organized collection of data. Some examples of databases you may encounter in your daily life are: a telephone book T.V. Guide airline reservation system motor vehicle registration records papers in your filing cabinet files on your computer hard drive. 

Why do we need a database? Keep records of our: Clients Staff Volunteers To keep a record of activities and interventions; Keep sales records; Develop reports; Perform research Longitudinal tracking

What is the ultimate purpose of a database management system? Is to transform Data Information Knowledge Action

More about database definition What is a database? Quite simply, it’s an organized collection of data. A database management system (DBMS) such as Access, FileMaker, Lotus Notes, Oracle or SQL Server which provides you with the software tools you need to organize that data in a flexible manner. It includes tools to add, modify or delete data from the database, ask questions (or queries) about the data stored in the database and produce reports summarizing selected contents.

Some Definitions A File: A group or collection of similar records, like INST6031 Fall Student File, American History 1850-1866 file, Basic Food Group Nutrition File A record book: a "rolodex" of data records, like address lists, inventory lists, classes or thematic units, or groupings of other unique records that are combined into one list (found in AppleWorks, FileMaker Pro software). A field: one category of information, i.e., Name, Address, Semester Grade, Academic topic A record: one piece of data, i.e., one student's information, a recipe, a test question A layout: a design for a database that contains field names and possibly graphics.

Fundamental building blocks Tables comprise the fundamental building blocks of any database.  If you're familiar with spreadsheets, you'll find database tables extremely similar.  Take a look at this example of a table sample database: The table above contains the employee information for our organization -- characteristics like name, date of birth and title.  Examine the construction of the table and you'll find that each column of the table corresponds to a specific employee characteristic (or attribute in database terms).  Each row corresponds to one particular employee and contains his or her information.  That's all there is to it!  If it helps, think of each one of these tables as a spreadsheet-style listing of information.

Where do we start? Let’s explore your “paper system” Client intake forms Job application form Funders reports Database modeling: Define required fields from “forms” or required reports Avoid repetition Keep it simple Identify a unique identifier or primary key