Data design is an essential part of the application development cycle. By analogy, building an application is like building a house. Having the right tools is important, but we need a solid foundation: the data structure. However, producing a good data structure can be a daunting challenge; the quest for a perfect data structure can lead us to new territories where many methods are available. Which one is the best? How can we keep our focus on the goal to achieve, without losing our time?

Data design for MySQL databases is both a science and an art, and there must be a good balance between the scientific and the empiric aspects of the method. The scientific aspect refers to information technology (IT) principles, whereas the empiric facet is mostly based on intuitions and experience.

This book is primarily oriented towards MySQL databases. It teaches how to plan the data structure and how to implement it physically using MySQL's model. The planning part is sometimes referred to as logical design, but it is preferable to view the logical/physical process as a whole.