Database Schema: Definition, Types, and Benefits

Database schemas offer an overview of a database's structure, including its different elements, how they relate to one another, and the rules that govern them. As a result, schemas aren't only part of an effective database design but also of efficient team-wide database management.

In this article, you'll discover database schemas, their benefits, and the types you’ll likely encounter in the workplace. Later, you'll also explore two common schema designs and some best practices for schema integration.

What is a database schema?

A database schema is a blueprint that outlines a relational database’s architecture, describing how data is organized within it and how its different elements, like foreign and primary keys, data types, and fields, relate to one another. Database schemas use entity relationship diagrams for visual representation, which depict the storage of values, their relationship to each other, and the rules governing them. 

Data professionals like data architects, data scientists, and data analysts use data modeling to design a database schema. The schema is part of the database management system (DBMS) that allows programmers, administrators, and users to maintain the integrity of the overall system. 

Database schema benefits 

Database schemas provide many benefits when it comes to database architecture. Some of the most common include: 

• Database security: A schema can outline access permissions to certain parts of a database, allowing greater control over who sees what and why. Database administrators can then use this information to grant permission to those who require it. 

• Greater fidelity: Schemas ensure that a database is properly maintained by its users. This can, among other things, greatly limit the number of duplicates and unnecessary information contained within a database. 

• Improved communication: A database schema allows stakeholders to communicate more effectively with one another about how to use and maintain a database over time. This can significantly reduce confusion and miscommunication. 

Database schema vs. Database instance

A schema acts as the blueprint for a database, describing its overall structure and how each element relates to another. In effect, it’s an unchanging picture of how the database is formally organized. 

A database instance, meanwhile, is a snapshot of the information contained within a database at a specific time. This means that, unlike a schema, the information contained within a database instance can change over time. 

Oracle database schema 

The term database schema has a unique meaning in Oracle that differs from its more widespread definition. In Oracle, a database schema specifically refers to “a collection of database objects,” such as tables, indexes, and views, and is named after individual database users [1]. Schema objects are user-created logical structures that Structured Query Language (SQL) or an Oracle Enterprise Manager manipulates. 

Types of database schema

The three most common types of database schema you’ll likely encounter in the field are as follows: 

• Conceptual schema: A conceptual database schema represents all the elements contained in a database and illustrates their relationship to one another, but it doesn’t contain any tables. As a result, it provides a big-picture view of the database without offering real-world details. 

• Logical database schema: Logical schemas flesh out conceptual schemas with more concrete details about the objects contained within them, such as names, tables, views, and integrity constraints. 

• Physical database schema: A physical schema is an actual design for a relational database. It includes all the technical and contextual information necessary for the schema and involves a specific physical data system. 

Read more: Data Engineering Salary: Your 2024 Guide

Database schema examples

The two most common database schema designs are star and snowflake schemas. As their names suggest, their designs often look like visual representations of a star and a snowflake, respectively. 

Star database schema 

A star database schema is a simple schema design in which a single fact table is connected to one or more dimension tables. Also known as a star join schema, this schema is simple to implement and particularly effective at querying large data sets. 

Snowflake database schema 

This is a more complex version of a star schema in which a single fact table is connected to one or more tables, which themselves connect to other dimension tables. A snowflake schema is relatively easy to maintain and can perform more complex queries than a star schema, allowing for increased analytics possibilities. 

How to create a database schema

There are a range of ways to create a database schema, depending on the database system you or your company uses. Common database languages such as MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database languages all center on the statement CREATE SCHEMA when using the console. While these languages all use CREATE SCHEMA in some way, each has its own processes. Take a look below to see how each one works:

• MySQL: You can use the terms CREATE DATABASE and CREATE SCHEMA synonymously, which creates no tables, just the database directory. After creation, you can use the create_option command to specify its characteristics. 

• Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database: You use CREATE SCHEMA to make a schema in the database and can then create tables, views, and user privileges. 

• Oracle Database: CREATE USER is the term to create a schema in Oracle, while CREATE SCHEMA allows you to create multiple tables, grants, or views. 

Schema integration requirements 

Schema diagrams help ensure that databases follow a consistent structure so that anyone accessing the database can use it effectively. When a database has multiple schemas, it’s important to ensure their integration with one another. For effective integration, schemas should meet the following requirements:

• Overlap preservation: Overlapping elements from different schemas should integrate within a database schema relation. 

• Extended overlap preservation: Elements from only one source associated with overlapping elements should appear within the database schema. 

• Minimality: To maintain integrity, the database should not lose any elements.

• Normalization: The schema should group independent elements and relationships separately from one another. 

Develop your database skills with Coursera 

Great database design begins with great database training. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of all things data, consider earning a relevant Professional Certificate on Coursera today. 

With the Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate, you can build your data analytics knowledge with practical, interactive projects featuring BigQuery, SQL, and Tableau. When you earn the Meta Database Engineer Professional Certificate, you’ll discover the key skills you need to create, manage, and manipulate databases, as well as industry-standard programming languages and software such as SQL, Python, and Django.