Three Types of Approaches to Database Design

Three Types of Approaches to Database Design

Three primary approaches to database design are commonly used: Process-Centered, Data-Centered, and Object-Oriented. Each approach has its own focus and methodology for structuring and organizing data within a database system.

Nowadays, the Data-Centered Approach is the most widely adopted, especially for relational database design.

In practice, these approaches can be combined to leverage their respective strengths and create a more robust database design.

• Design the overall database structure using the Data-Centered Approach.
• Implement specific functionalities or modules using the Process-Centered or Object-Oriented Approaches as needed.

Process-Centered Approach

• Focuses on business processes and workflows as the primary design driver
• Uses data flow diagrams (DFD) to model how data moves through the system
• Emphasizes “what the system does” rather than “what data it stores”
• Processes mean the functions of the software system that manipulate data

Data-Centered Approach

• Centers on data structures, relationships, and their integrity
• Uses Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams to model data entities and relationships
• Most common approach for relational database design, focusing on normalization

Object-Oriented Approach

• Combines data and behavior into unified objects with encapsulation
• Uses UML (Unified Modeling Language) class diagrams to represent classes, attributes, and methods
• Integrates data structures with the operations that manipulate them