Re: Database Design Best Practices?

On 22 Oct 2001 08:00:30 -0700, michaelloll_at_hotmail.com (Mike) wrote:

>I've been tasked with normalizing a database currently in Microsoft
>Access 97, into a 3NF representation. I'll also be designing
>translation rules to migrate data from the non-normalized DB to the
>new 3NF DB.
>
>I've studied DB design (classes in actual database theory), as well as
>physically done this before on smaller scale DBs where I already knew
>the DB thoroughly (i.e. I was the DB's creator). Now, this DB in
>question was not my creation, so I must go a little more slowly than I
>am use to with respect to normalizing, etc.
>
>With all most 50 tables in the DB, I need a process and a plan to
>successfully do this, now more than ever! With smaller DBs, I always
>have a plan, but it is much more flee flowing. I really need advice
>on "best practices" for DB normalization.

You're in the process of re-engineering, which, as you know, involves more than just normalization. (You could argue that re-engineering is just maintenance by another name.) A Google search for "reengineering" might be helpful. Might not.

I've found Terry Halpin's books on ORM to be helpful. The latest one is _Information Modeling and Relational Databases_. Steve McConnell's _Software Project Survival Guide_ is a good source for material on the general process of development. You can download sample documents from his web site (www.construx.com, I think).

You can get other high-level documents on the development process from Carnegie-Mellon's Software Engineering Institute and from NASA's Software Engineering Laboratory. I don't have those URLs handy.

-- 
Mike Sherrill
Information Management Systems