One of the most important steps in desiging a database is establishing the data model. Part one of a two-part article describes how to create a logical model.

The end goal of database design is to be able to transform a logical data model into an actual physical database. A logical data model is required before you can even begin to design a physical ...

The physical data model contains all the specifics about how the logical model will be implemented. This model format includes table names, column names, types, lengths, primary keys, foreign keys ...

Without the proper logical analysis of the functional dependencies across the data, some tables may actually be, semantically speaking, odd collections and very unnatural creatures. Ubiquitous ...