Database Schema Design

database-schema-design

Comprehensive database schema design patterns for PostgreSQL and MySQL with normalization, relationships, constraints, and error prevention.

Quick Start (10 Minutes)

Step 1: Choose your schema pattern from templates:

# Basic schema with users, products, orders
cat templates/basic-schema.sql

# Relationship patterns (1:1, 1:M, M:M)
cat templates/relationships.sql

# Constraint examples
cat templates/constraints.sql

# Audit patterns
cat templates/audit-columns.sql

Step 2: Apply normalization rules (at minimum 3NF):

• 1NF: No repeating groups, atomic values
• 2NF: No partial dependencies on composite keys
• 3NF: No transitive dependencies
• Load references/normalization-guide.md for detailed examples

Step 3: Add essential elements to every table:

CREATE TABLE your_table (
  -- Primary key (required)
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),

  -- Business columns with proper types
  name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,  -- Use appropriate lengths

  -- Audit columns (always include)
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL,
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL
);

Critical Rules

✓ Always Do

✗ Never Do

Top 7 Critical Errors

Error 1: Missing Primary Key

Symptom: Cannot uniquely identify rows, duplicate data Fix:

-- ❌ Bad
CREATE TABLE users (
  email VARCHAR(255),
  name VARCHAR(100)
);

-- ✅ Good
CREATE TABLE users (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  email VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL
);

Error 2: No Foreign Key Constraints

Symptom: Orphaned records, data inconsistency Fix:

-- ❌ Bad
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id UUID  -- No constraint!
);

-- ✅ Good
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);

-- Index the foreign key
CREATE INDEX idx_orders_user_id ON orders(user_id);

Error 3: VARCHAR(MAX) Everywhere

Symptom: Wasted space, slow indexes, no validation Fix:

-- ❌ Bad
CREATE TABLE products (
  name VARCHAR(MAX),
  sku VARCHAR(MAX),
  status VARCHAR(MAX)
);

-- ✅ Good
CREATE TABLE products (
  name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
  sku VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL
    CHECK (status IN ('draft', 'active', 'archived'))
);

Error 4: Wrong Data Types (Dates as Strings)

Symptom: No date validation, broken sorting, no date math Fix:

-- ❌ Bad
CREATE TABLE events (
  event_date VARCHAR(50)  -- '2025-12-15' or 'Dec 15, 2025'?
);

-- ✅ Good
CREATE TABLE events (
  event_date DATE NOT NULL,  -- Validated, sortable
  event_time TIMESTAMPTZ     -- With timezone
);

Error 5: No Indexes on Foreign Keys

Symptom: Extremely slow JOINs, poor query performance Fix:

-- Always index foreign keys
CREATE TABLE order_items (
  order_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES orders(id),
  product_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES products(id)
);

-- ✅ Required indexes
CREATE INDEX idx_order_items_order_id ON order_items(order_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_order_items_product_id ON order_items(product_id);

Error 6: Missing Audit Columns

Symptom: Cannot track when records created/modified Fix:

-- ❌ Bad
CREATE TABLE products (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(200)
);

-- ✅ Good
CREATE TABLE products (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL,
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL
);

-- Auto-update trigger (PostgreSQL)
CREATE TRIGGER products_updated_at
BEFORE UPDATE ON products
FOR EACH ROW
EXECUTE FUNCTION update_updated_at_column();

Error 7: EAV Anti-Pattern

Symptom: Complex queries, no type safety, slow performance Fix:

-- ❌ Bad (EAV)
CREATE TABLE product_attributes (
  product_id UUID,
  attribute_name VARCHAR(100),  -- 'color', 'size', 'price'
  attribute_value TEXT           -- Everything as text!
);

-- ✅ Good (Structured + JSONB)
CREATE TABLE products (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
  price DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL,  -- Required fields as columns
  color VARCHAR(50),              -- Common attributes as columns
  size VARCHAR(20),
  attributes JSONB                -- Optional/dynamic attributes
);

-- Index JSONB
CREATE INDEX idx_products_attributes ON products USING GIN(attributes);

Load references/error-catalog.md for all 12 errors with detailed fixes.

Common Schema Patterns

Normalization Quick Reference

Recommendation: Design to 3NF, denormalize only with measured performance data.

Load references/normalization-guide.md for detailed examples with before/after.

Configuration Summary

PostgreSQL Recommended Types

-- Primary Keys
id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid()
-- OR for performance-critical:
id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY

-- Text
name VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL
description TEXT
code CHAR(10)  -- Fixed-length codes only

-- Numbers
price DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL  -- Money: NEVER use FLOAT
quantity INT NOT NULL
rating DECIMAL(3,2)  -- 0.00 to 9.99

-- Dates/Times
created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL  -- With timezone
event_date DATE
duration INTERVAL

-- Boolean
is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT true NOT NULL

-- JSON
attributes JSONB  -- Binary, faster, indexable

-- Enum Alternative (preferred over ENUM type)
status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL
  CHECK (status IN ('draft', 'active', 'archived'))

MySQL Differences

-- MySQL doesn't have:
TIMESTAMPTZ  -- Use TIMESTAMP (stored as UTC)
gen_random_uuid()  -- Use UUID() function
JSONB  -- Use JSON (same performance in 8.0+)

-- MySQL equivalent:
id CHAR(36) PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT (UUID())
-- OR:
id BIGINT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY

created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP NOT NULL
attributes JSON

Load references/data-types-guide.md for comprehensive type selection guide.

When to Load References

Schema Design Process

Load references/schema-design-patterns.md when:

• Starting a new database design
• Need pattern examples (audit columns, soft deletes, versioning)
• Implementing multi-tenancy
• Choosing between UUID vs BIGSERIAL
• Following naming conventions

Normalization

Load references/normalization-guide.md when:

• Schema has data duplication
• Unsure what normal form you're in
• Need to normalize existing schema
• Planning database structure

Relationships

Load references/relationship-patterns.md when:

• Defining table relationships
• Implementing junction tables
• Creating hierarchical structures
• Setting up cascade rules

Data Types

Load references/data-types-guide.md when:

• Choosing column types
• Migrating between PostgreSQL/MySQL
• Optimizing storage
• Implementing JSON fields

Constraints

Load references/constraints-catalog.md when:

• Adding validation rules
• Implementing CHECK constraints
• Setting up foreign key cascades
• Creating unique constraints

Error Prevention

Load references/error-catalog.md when:

• Schema review needed
• Troubleshooting schema issues
• All 12 documented errors with fixes

Complete Setup Checklist

Before Creating Tables:

• Normalized to at least 3NF
• All relationships identified
• Data types chosen appropriately
• Cascade rules defined

Every Table Must Have:

• Primary key defined
• Audit columns (created_at, updated_at)
• NOT NULL on required fields
• Appropriate VARCHAR lengths (not MAX)
• CHECK constraints for enums/ranges

Foreign Keys:

• All foreign keys defined with REFERENCES
• ON DELETE/UPDATE actions specified
• All foreign keys indexed

Indexes:

• Foreign keys indexed
• Frequently queried columns indexed
• Composite indexes for multi-column queries

Validation:

• No circular dependencies
• No EAV patterns
• No polymorphic associations
• Proper data types (no dates as strings)

Production Example

Before (Multiple issues):

CREATE TABLE users (
  email VARCHAR(MAX),           -- Issue: No primary key, VARCHAR(MAX)
  password VARCHAR(MAX),
  created VARCHAR(50)           -- Issue: Date as string
);

CREATE TABLE orders (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  user_email VARCHAR(MAX),      -- Issue: No foreign key
  total VARCHAR(20),            -- Issue: Money as string
  status VARCHAR(MAX)           -- Issue: No validation
);

After (Production-ready):

CREATE TABLE users (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  email VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  password_hash VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL,
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE orders (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  user_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  total DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL CHECK (total >= 0),
  status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending'
    CHECK (status IN ('pending', 'processing', 'shipped', 'delivered', 'canceled')),
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL,
  updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW() NOT NULL
);

CREATE INDEX idx_orders_user_id ON orders(user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_orders_status ON orders(status);

Result: ✅ All constraints enforced, proper types, indexed, auditable

Known Issues Prevention

All 12 documented errors prevented:

1. ✅ Missing primary key → UUID/BIGSERIAL required
2. ✅ No foreign key constraints → REFERENCES required
3. ✅ VARCHAR(MAX) everywhere → Appropriate lengths
4. ✅ Denormalization without justification → 3NF minimum
5. ✅ Missing NOT NULL constraints → Required fields marked
6. ✅ No indexes on foreign keys → All FKs indexed
7. ✅ Wrong data types → Proper type selection
8. ✅ Missing CHECK constraints → Validation rules
9. ✅ No audit columns → created_at/updated_at required
10. ✅ Circular dependencies → Dependency analysis
11. ✅ Missing ON DELETE/UPDATE cascades → Cascade rules
12. ✅ EAV anti-pattern → Structured schema + JSONB

See: references/error-catalog.md for detailed fixes

Resources

Templates:

• templates/basic-schema.sql - Users, products, orders starter
• templates/relationships.sql - All relationship types
• templates/constraints.sql - Constraint examples
• templates/audit-columns.sql - Audit patterns + triggers

References:

• references/normalization-guide.md - 1NF through 5NF detailed
• references/relationship-patterns.md - Relationship types
• references/data-types-guide.md - PostgreSQL vs MySQL types
• references/constraints-catalog.md - All constraints
• references/schema-design-patterns.md - Best practices
• references/error-catalog.md - All 12 errors documented

Official Documentation:

• PostgreSQL Data Types: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype.html
• PostgreSQL Constraints: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ddl-constraints.html
• MySQL Data Types: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/data-types.html

Production-tested | 12 errors prevented | MIT License

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