How to Document a Database

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A database is a crucial part of any software system, storing and managing the data that powers your applications. In order to ensure the longevity, maintainability, and reliability of your database, it is essential to document it thoroughly.

It’s been my experience that everyone wants to document their databases, but doesn’t really understand how to. For the most part, most of the companies I have worked for had very little documentation when I started there.

Why Should We Document the Database?

In order to ensure the longevity, maintainability, and reliability of your database, it is essential to document it thoroughly.

Documentation of a database serves several purposes:

  1. Start with Database Design: A good database design makes doucmenting the database easier. Naming Conventions, Keys, and Table relationships make the documentation needs much easier.
  2. Communication: Database documentation helps to communicate the structure, design, and use of a database to stakeholders, including developers, system administrators, and business users.
  3. Onboarding: New team members can quickly get up to speed on the database by referring to the documentation.
  4. Maintenance: When the database evolves over time, documentation makes it easier for developers to understand how it works and make changes with confidence.
  5. Compliance: Some industries, such as finance and healthcare, have strict regulations regarding the storage and management of data. Proper documentation can help ensure compliance with these regulations.

Best Practices for Documenting

In this post, we’ll outline best practices for documenting a database.

  1. Document the Database Design The first step in documenting a database is to document the design. This includes the entities, relationships, and attributes that make up the database. A diagram, such as an Entity-Relationship (ER) diagram, can be a useful tool for visualizing the design. Additionally, a written description of the design should be created, including definitions of each entity, relationship, and attribute, as well as the rules that govern the relationships between entities.
  2. Document the Data Model The data model defines the structure of the data stored in the database, including data types, constraints, and relationships between tables. This information should be documented in a clear and concise manner, with examples of how the data will be used in the application.
  3. Document the Business Rules Business rules define how data should be entered into the database and how it should be used. This includes validation rules, calculated fields, and any other rules that govern the data. These rules should be documented in a clear and concise manner, with examples of how they will be used in the application.
  4. Create a Data Dictionary A data dictionary is a comprehensive list of all the data elements in the database, including the name, data type, and description of each element. This information should be kept up-to-date as the database evolves over time.
  5. Document the Security Model The security model outlines who has access to the database and what actions they can perform. This information should be documented in a clear and concise manner, with examples of how the security model will be used in the application.
  6. Maintenance Procedures Maintenance procedures outline the steps necessary to maintain the database, including backup and recovery procedures, performance tuning, and data archiving. These procedures should be documented in a clear and concise manner, with examples of how they will be used in the application.

Document the Database Design

An Entity-Relationship (ER) Diagram is a graphical representation of entities and their relationships to each other, and is useful for several purposes:

  1. Designing a database: An ERD is used as a blueprint to design a relational database, as it provides a visual representation of entities, attributes, and relationships between them.
  2. Communicating the database design: ERDs can be used to communicate the design of a database to stakeholders, including developers, system administrators, and business users. They provide a clear and concise picture of the database structure, making it easier for everyone to understand the design.
  3. Troubleshooting: When problems arise in the database, an ERD can be used to identify the root cause of the issue and to find a solution.
  4. Documenting the database: An ERD is a form of documentation for the database, providing a clear and concise picture of the design that can be used for reference and to onboard new team members.
  5. Improving the database design: An ERD can be used to identify areas for improvement in the database design, such as redundant data or missing relationships between entities.

Document the Data Model

Here are some steps you can follow to document the data model effectively:

  1. Define the entities: Identify the entities that make up the data model, such as customers, orders, and products. Define the attributes of each entity, such as name, address, and date of birth for a customer entity.
  2. Define the relationships: Identify the relationships between entities, such as a customer can have many orders, and an order can have many products. Define the cardinality of each relationship, such as one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many.
  3. Create a diagram: Create a diagram, such as an Entity-Relationship (ER) diagram, to visually represent the entities, attributes, and relationships of the data model.
  4. Document the data types: Define the data types for each attribute, such as string, integer, or date. Specify the size and precision of each data type, if applicable.
  5. Define the constraints: Identify the constraints that apply to the data, such as unique constraints, primary key constraints, and foreign key constraints. Specify how the constraints will be enforced, such as through the database management system or through the application code.
  6. Document the data relationships: Specify the relationships between tables, including the type of relationship (e.g., one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many) and the columns that participate in the relationship.
  7. Update the documentation: As the data model evolves over time, be sure to update the documentation to reflect any changes.

Document the Business Rules

Business rule documentation is a written description of the rules that govern how data should be entered into a database and how it should be used.

Here is an example of what a business rule document might look like:

  1. Introduction: A brief overview of the purpose of the business rule document, including the scope of the rules and the stakeholders who will use the document.
  2. Business rules: A list of the business rules, each with a clear and concise description of the rule and its purpose. For example:
  • Validation rules: Rules that govern the format and content of data entered into the database, such as minimum and maximum length for a field, required fields, and allowed values.
  • Calculated fields: Rules that define how certain fields are calculated based on other fields, such as total sales or average rating.
  • Data integrity rules: Rules that ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data, such as unique constraints, primary key constraints, and foreign key constraints.
  1. Examples: Real-world examples of how each business rule will be applied in the application, including input and output scenarios.
  2. Implementation details: Information on how the business rules will be enforced, such as through the database management system, through the application code, or through manual processes.
  3. Maintenance procedures: Procedures for maintaining the business rules over time, including updating the rules as the database evolves, testing the rules to ensure they are still relevant, and correcting any issues that arise.

Wrapping it up

Documenting a database is a critical step in ensuring the longevity, maintainability, and reliability of your database.

By following the best practices outlined in this post, you can ensure that your database is well-documented and that your team has the information they need to work effectively with your database.


Also published on Medium.

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Brian is a software architect and technology leader living in Niagara Falls with 13+ years of development experience. He is passionate about automation, business process re-engineering, and building a better tomorrow.

Brian is a proud father of four: two boys, and two girls and has been happily married to Crystal for more than ten years. From time to time, Brian may post about his faith, his family, and definitely about technology.