Data Model Design

Overview

Design your database schema before writing migrations. Think about entities, relationships, access patterns, and indexes upfront.

Core principle: Your schema is your most permanent decision. Code is easy to refactor, schema migrations on production data are not.

When to Use

• Starting a new project (before first migration)
• Adding a new domain area with multiple tables
• Redesigning existing schema
• Performance issues traced to schema problems

Design Process

1. Identify Entities