Summary
This chapter covered basic physical database design. You need to spend some time analyzing the design before creating the database. The DBA needs to know the architecture of the system and understand how his/her database fits into the grand scheme. Knowledge of the inputs, outputs, and processing characteristics/requirements is absolutely essential. Otherwise, the DBA is really just shooting in the dark.
After you define the requirements, the database is designed to perform well, be easily managed, and withstand damage without data loss. By understanding the types of applications the database will support and following some basic tuning guidelines, the needs of the corporation can largely be addressed with a good design.