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Elements of the Ideal Field

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  • It represents a distinct characteristic of the subject of the table.

  • It contains only a single value.

  • It cannot be deconstructed into smaller components.

  • It does not contain a calculated or concatenated value.

  • It is unique within the entire database structure.

  • It retains the majority of its characteristics when it appears in more than one table.

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Part I: Relational Database Design
Part II: The Design Process
Part III: Other Database-Design Issues
Part IV: Appendixes
Appendix A. Answers to Review Questions
Appendix B. Diagram of the Database-Design Process
Appendix C. Design Guidelines
Defining and Establishing Field Specific Business Rules
Defining and Establishing Relationship Specific Business Rules
Elements of a Candidate Key
Elements of a Foreign Key
Elements of a Primary Key
Elements of the Ideal Field
Elements of the Ideal Table
Field-Level Integrity
Guidelines for Composing a Field Description
Guidelines for Composing a Table Description
Guidelines for Creating Field Names
Guidelines for Creating Table Names
Identifying Relationships
Identifying View Requirements
Interview Guidelines
Mission Statements
Mission Objectives
Relationship-Level Integrity
Resolving a Multivalued Field
Table-Level Integrity
Appendix D. Documentation Forms
Appendix E. Database-Design Diagram Symbols
Appendix F. Sample Designs
Appendix G. Recommended Reading