Learning Relational Databases

Course details

Have you ever opened up a database that someone else built and felt a little lost? Or ever thought of designing your own simple database and been unsure of where to start? Or perhaps you need to work with a team of database professionals and don't know how to speak their language? This course can help you overcome these hurdles.
Adam Wilbert covers the basics of relational database design, regardless of whether you use Access, FileMaker, Open Office, or SQL Server. Learn how to prevent data anomalies, gather requirements to plan your design, and develop a conceptual data model—translating your ideas into components like tables, relationships, queries, and views. Plus, learn about logical design considerations that can help you construct a database that is easy to maintain.

Learning objectives
Identify the three rules of relations.
Summarize the four stages of developing a relational database.
Describe a strategy one might use to ensure a database remains flexible in terms of the questions a user can ask.
Explain how to avoid scope creep.
Recall the characteristics of a Lookup Table.
Recognize situations in which denormalization would be beneficial.
Understand the types of relationships modeled by junction tables.
Define referential integrity.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - What you should know
03 - Exercise files

1. Relational Database Basics

04 - Database management systems (DBMS)
05 - Relational structures
06 - Get to know your RDBMS options
07 - The database development lifecycle

2. Preventing Data Anomalies

08 - Relational database advantages
09 - Remove duplicate information
10 - Eliminate inconsistent data
11 - Break data down into its components
12 - Prevent data conflicts
13 - Require complete information
14 - Maintain a consistent structure

3. Gathering Requirements

15 - Understand the goal
16 - Review the current system
17 - Discover actors and tasks
18 - Interview the client
19 - Work with historical values
20 - Identify exceptions and irregularities

4. Developing the Conceptual Data Model

21 - Understand entities and tables
22 - Develop relationships
23 - Develop subtypes and supertypes
24 - Utilize lookup tables
25 - Draft the initial data model

5. Normalizing Your Data

26 - Identify key fields
27 - First normal form
28 - Second normal form
29 - Third normal form
30 - Denormalization

6. Logical Design Considerations

31 - Follow a naming convention
32 - Data types and precision
33 - Create junction tables
34 - Apply integrity constraints
35 - Enforce referential integrity
36 - Build indexes

7. Developing the Physical Database

37 - Move from planning to construction
38 - Create the tables in Access
39 - Establish relationships in Access
40 - Write queries in Access
41 - Create the tables in SQL Server
42 - Establish relationships in SQL Server
43 - Create views in SQL Server

Conclusion

44 - Implement the plan
45 - Next steps