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.

Logical Schema. A logical data model or logical schema is a representation of the abstract structure of the information domain that defines all the logical constraints applied to the data stored.

However, within the logical data model the goal is to express the business rules and logic. Therefore, abstractions do not have to be avoided, but they should be used surgically. When an area of the ...

The first step in transforming a logical data model into a physical model is to perform a simple translation from logical terms to physical objects. Of course, this simple transformation will not ...