Question

Discuss the decisions made during physical database design.

Short answer

Physical database design involves important decision making related to structuring, indexing, and storage. Structuring decisions impact how records are organized on the storage, indexing decisions can improve data retrieval speed but impacts updates and storage space, and storage decisions impact the speed of query and update operations.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Physical Database Design

Physical database design is the process of transforming a logical data model into an actual physical database. Decisions made during this stage can significantly impact the performance, efficiency, and even security of the database.

Discussing Structuring Decisions

Key decisions to be made include the physical organization of records. This relates to how data will be structured on the storage medium. Important factors are the order in which records are physically stored and the methods used to access those records.

Discussing Indexing Decisions

The next type of decision involved in physical database design is choosing the necessary indexes. Indexes can significantly speed up data retrieval at the cost of slower update operations and additional storage space.

Discussing Storage Decisions

Another crucial area of decision-making is choosing the appropriate storage and access methods. These decisions can influence the speed at which query and update operations can be executed.