Databases

MySQL
PostgreSQL
MariaDB
Oracle DB
SQL Server (Microsoft)
SQLite
Amazon RDS

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used to communicate with data stored in a relational database management system. SQL syntax is similar to the English language, which makes it relatively easy to write, read, and interpret.

Goals

to design a performant and future-proof database
eliminate redundant data
maintain accuracy and integrity
provide quick access

steps:

identify the purpose of the database
- how do clients want to access the data?
- gather structure of data included, and list types
- break down information into smallest useful pieces
- avoid including the same data point in more than one table
organize data into tables
- each row in the table is a record
- assign the appropriate data type to each column
  - char - specific length of text
  - varchar - texxt of variable lengths
  - text - large amount of texts
  - int - positive or negative whole number
  - float, double - stores floating point numbers
  - blob - binary data
  - auto-number (automatically generates unique number in each row, can be used as a key)
determine keys + relationships
- primary key - a unique id for an entry, one of a kind, used for identifying and querying a specific record
- primary keys cannot be null nor empty
- composite key - primary key that is multiple fields
normalize databases