Database Design is the step where you turn your needs into a solution. Any time when you need information to be stored and then used later, be thinking of a database. Database Design, also called Database Architecture, is like the foundation of a house. Everything is built on it. A good foundation will make everything else you do easier, while a bad one will make for clumsy construction and is very hard to change later on.
A good design will protect your data from errors, minimize the cost of your computers through efficient design, be consistently available to help run your business, be able to correct mistakes, increase the productivity of your workers, and allow for cost-effective programming as your needs evolve. Conversely, a bad database design will cost you money in the forms of: employee inefficiency, lost sales, difficult maintenance, expensive computers, frequent repairs, and difficult improvements.
The pride of our company is our expertise in custom database development. With our expert architects, you will receive a product which possesses the reliability, performance, and robust features which reflect the experience of its developers.
Some of the services we offer to provide you with a sturdy architecture are below.
Relational Design
Data Typing
Indexing
Constraints
Stored Procedures
Documentation
R E L A T I O N A L D E S I G N
Relational Design is perhaps the most valuable service we offer. The core of a good relational model is a process called normalization. Normalization ensures optimal performance with minimal resources, ensures that data is easily accessible for reporting, and removes duplication which can lead to conflicting data. Normalization may be said to be the core of good database architecture. Because of the academic nature of normalization, many businesses do not bother with it, and so suffer from poor database programming.
Of the 6 normal forms, most database developers stop at the 2nd or 3rd normal form. Our analysts are held to a higher standard and typically provide 4th or 5th level normalization.
D A T A T Y P I N G
Careful thought concerning data typing can improve your database design's efficiency while enforcing integrity; however, careless data typing can lead you into errors requiring redesign later on.
The primary purpose of data typing is to choose a data type that will give you all the versatility you need and no more. On the one hand, if you use a 4 byte integer to store a value that you know will never get beyond 100, you are wasting 75% of your space. On the other hand, if you use a 2 byte integer to store your 50,000 customers, this will be fine for today, but will lead to having to redesign your database as your business grows. The cost of these redesigns is often catastrophic, especially if it is not caught until it produces errors.
Data types also enforce integrity. By choosing an integer type, you ensure that letters will never be placed in this field. By choosing a date type, you will never put an invalid date in this field.
I N D E X I N G
Indexing is the cheapest and easiest way to improve your database performance. Our database development process includes thorough indexing, which will allow your database to perform well now and into the future. Our programmers know through their experience and training which indexes are likely to produce the best results. Once a database is in place, we offer performance optimization, which looks at actual performance conditions to determine any possible enhancements to your database design.
C O N S T R A I N T S
Constraints enforce the validity of your data. Referential Integrity, default values, and Primary, Foreign, and Alternate Key uniqueness can all be instantiated using Constraints. All these techniques come together to ensure the most important aspect of a good database--that its data is correct.
S T O R E D P R O C E D U R E S
Stored procedures, which use SQL programming, are the primary method of providing the functionality of custom programming inside your database. Properly written SQL is a key component of database security. A stored procedure allows you precise control over what your users may do and provide a strong defence against SQL Injection--a common form of attack. Stored procedures improve database performance while providing access for your applications.
No custom database design is complete without well thought out stored procedures. Our developers are trained in the most current best practices to ensure that your database design is secure, fast, and reliable.
D O C U M E N T A T I O N
Documentation is the difference between a solution that works and a solution which will continue working for the life of your business.
We provide detailed, yet organized and easy to understand documents outlining your database design. These documents help your people to understand where the data they want is, which improves their performance and helps avoid them recreating what is already there. It shows your people what your data means, which helps them to properly use and maintain it and can prevent the removal of important pieces. Finally, documentation provides confidence for your partners and customers doing due diligence. It shows them the superior design of your systems and that you have well thought out, professional systems on which they may rely.
