A well thought out database will continue to serve and meet your needs for ages. It is important toplan ahead and really put some thought into what you intend to record in your databases. Keep inmind that tables and databases should maintain some relationship. In many instances it is far moredesirable to have several small related tables and databases than one giant one. "Never place your eggs all in one basket."
The Database Model
Dr. Edgar F. Codd was the founding father of what is known as the relational model of databases.In 1970, he published a groundbreaking article "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared DataBanks." Included within the article were 12 rules of relational databases. These rules are as follows(paraphrased).
1.
Information Rule
All data in the database should be represented as values in tables.
2.
Guaranteed Access
Every piece of data should be accesible by using the table name, primary key, and a columnname.
3.
Treatment of
NULL
Values
Null values must be treated as incomplete data pieces. Nulls are not to be confused withzeros.
4.
Active-Online Relational Catalog
A database is represented at a logical level of tables.
5.
Sublanguage
Having one supported language with a well-defined syntax.
6.
Updating Views
All views should be updated through the system.
7.
Set-level Insertion, Update, and Deletion
System must support set-time insert, update, and deletion operations.
8.
Data Independence (Physical)
Alterations to the way data is stored must not alter the application itself.
9.
Data Independence (Logical)
Altering tables, columns, and/or rows must not alter the application itself.
10.
Integrity Independence
The language of the database must define integrity rules.
11.
Distribution Independence
Distributing the database to numerous locations should be anonymous and existingapplications should be unaffected.
12.
Nonsubversion
If the system uses a low level interface to record data, then there must be a higher levelinterface used when administrating.The largest of corporations follow these rules of cataloging information to this very day.
Database Driven Web Sites
Today we experience the power of databases throughout the web. Many sites are completelydynamic, meaning the content that is being display is held inside of a table with columns, and columnsof information to display. This is quickly becoming the ideal way to host websites. It allows for dynamiccontent on the fly, user interaction, and webmasters can store information about returning usersmaking way for the site to recognize returning users. Any chance at building rapport with your audience is a great opportunity indeed.
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