Level: Intermediate

David Mertz, Ph.D (mertz@gnosis.cx), ACID Washed Author, Gnosis Software, Inc.

11 Dec 2007

When your Web application reaches a certain size, it needs a good database design behind it. And in fact, this "certain size" is much smaller than almost every small-site developer thinks. Relational Data Base Management Systems (RDBMSes) need not be restrictive or over-architected, as their bad reputation sometimes brings developers to fear. A bit of thought toward what your site does quickly turns into a sensible schema design, and it is easy to leave open expandable storage mechanisms like a configuration table within an RDBMS back end.

Introduction

A motto in "Extreme Programming" (XP) has a widespread, and understandable, appeal among many developers—especially those of us who tend to do consulting projects: "You ain't gonna need it" (abbreviated YAGNI) is a shorthand way of saying that you should not develop a given bit of functionality until it is actually required by your client or project. In general spirit, it is hard to argue with YAGNI; it has the clear advantage of letting you show clients "something" at an early stage of development and continuously along the way.

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Original link: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-rdbms/?S_TACT=105AGX54&S_CMP=A1214&ca=dnw-848