Plan a Database

Although you can always make changes to a database, a little upfront planning before you create a database can save you significant time and headaches later on.

Determine the Purpose of a Database

Here are some planning steps and guidelines for creating a well-designed database.

• Determine the Purpose of Your Database: Write down a list of the reports and information that you want to come out of the database
• Determine the Fields You Need: Think about the data type for each field. Will the field contain text information? Numbers? Dates? Write down the data type next to each field.
• Determine the Tables You Need: Each table in the database should be based on only one subject. By breaking each subject into its own table, you avoid redundant information and make the database more organized.
• Determine the Primary Key: Each record in a table should have a primary key that uniquely identifies it.
• Determine the Relationship between Fields: One of the linked fields should be the table's primary key.
• Sketch a Diagram of your Database: Draw a box for each of your tables and write the tables’ field names inside that box. Draw a line between the related fields in the tables.