Summary

There is no escaping modeling. We use it in our everyday lives to plan and navigate the complexities of the world around us—databases are no exception. For some readers, the modeling styles presented in this chapter may be a new way of conceptualizing their database landscape, while others may be getting reacquainted with its notation and use cases. Whether thinking about a company business model or sharing a finalized design with team members, we all engage in modeling to varying degrees.

Embracing database modeling and learning to speak in a commonly understood language unlocks many time-saving and collaborative benefits for the entire organization. Thinking long-term and modeling strategically, as opposed to reacting tactically, aligns database designs to the business that they underpin, ensuring their viability. Having seen the advantages that modeling uncovers and where it can be implemented, we can begin to analyze its components to understand precisely where they should be used and how they form a natural design progression.

In the next chapter, we will explore the four modeling types used in database design and discuss where they excel and how they build on one another to help take an idea and evolve it into a technical system design while generating living project artifacts to navigate and maintain the final product.