10 things to review after finishing your data model
When I finish modeling my database, I like to just let it sit a couple days, then spend some time just reviewing it to check for inconsistencies. The kind of inconsistencies you never notice when you’re up to your eyeballs in details, but drive you up the wall after 5 years of maintenance.
When I finished my database design a few days ago, I jotted a few things down to remember to do. But when I transcribed them into my bug tracker, where I manage all my tasks, 3 things turned into 5, then 7 and I realized if I could just add a few more, I’d have an infamous ‘Top 10’ list.
Anyway here it is. It’s not exactly comprehensive, but it’s a start.
10 things to review after finishing your data model:
- Naming consistencies
- Column default consistencies
- Identity / auto-number technique exists
- Constraint consistencies
- Foreign Key relationships exist
- Indexes on Foreign Key columns
- Abbreviations are consistent
- Abbreviations are documented
- Data type and size consistencies. (For example; TableA.UserName is nvarchar(N), so TableB.UserName should be nvarchar(N) as well, not nvarchar(N±X))
- Review all requirements again to reconfirm everything was covered
Senior Software Consultant working in the Toronto area. I specialize in Microsoft technologies and have a long history of taking software development projects from idea, through development and implementation, and years of maintenance.
Always looking for interesting projects. 
Great post. I do some of these as I go with builtin validation checks of my Modelling tool.