Designing Databases

Before you begin creating and working with databases, make sure you understand the design considerations involved with database creation.

In This Section

• Database Design Process
  Provides an introduction on how to create a well-designed database and lists the important steps in the design process.

• Analyzing Data Requirements
  Focuses on the first step in designing a Microsoft Visual FoxPro database, which involves finding out the reason for the database and how it will be used.

• Organizing Requirements into Tables
  Describes how to select the tables in your database, which can be the most difficult step in the database design process.

• Determining the Fields You Need
  Explains the importance of determining what you must know about the people, things, or events recorded in the table.

• Identifying Relationships
  Contains information and examples on how the Microsoft Visual FoxPro relational database management system can be used to link information in meaningful ways.

• Refining the Design
  After the tables, fields, and relationships have been established, details the important step of reviewing your database design to locate remaining flaws.

• Sample Database Diagrams
  Offers database diagrams as a way to spark ideas for creating your own database.

Related Sections

• Working with Data
  Discusses how to create effective applications with indexes, tables, and databases based on your data requirements.

• Developing Databases
  Shows how to use databases in Microsoft Visual FoxPro to establish relationships between tables, enforce referential integrity, and manage local and remote data.

• Working with Tables (Visual FoxPro)
  Describes how to make sure your tables have the structure that your application requires. Data type and index choices are essential to the success of your application.

• Importing and Exporting Data
  Describes how information is copied between Microsoft Visual FoxPro and other applications by importing to and exporting from Visual FoxPro.