Help users design database schemas, create tables, and model data relationships.
When to Use
Activate when user asks:
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"Create a table for storing orders"
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"Design a schema for a blog"
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"Add a column to track user preferences"
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"How should I model this relationship?"
Workflow
1. Understand Requirements
Ask clarifying questions:
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What data needs to be stored?
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What are the relationships between entities?
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What queries will be common?
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What's the expected data volume?
2. Check Existing Schema
whodb_tables() → See what already exists
whodb_columns(table="related_table") → Understand existing structure
3. Design the Schema
Follow database design principles:
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Normalize to reduce redundancy
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Use appropriate data types
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Define primary keys
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Establish foreign key relationships
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Add indexes for common queries
4. Generate DDL
Provide CREATE TABLE statements with explanations.
Data Type Guidelines
Identifiers
| Auto-increment ID
| SERIAL / BIGSERIAL
| INT AUTO_INCREMENT
| INTEGER PRIMARY KEY
| UUID
| UUID
| CHAR(36)
| TEXT
Text
| Short text (<255)
| VARCHAR(n)
| VARCHAR(n)
| TEXT
| Long text
| TEXT
| TEXT
| TEXT
| Fixed length
| CHAR(n)
| CHAR(n)
| TEXT
Numbers
| Integer
| INTEGER
| INT
| INTEGER
| Big integer
| BIGINT
| BIGINT
| INTEGER
| Decimal (money)
| NUMERIC(10,2)
| DECIMAL(10,2)
| REAL
| Float
| REAL
| FLOAT
| REAL
Dates
| Date only
| DATE
| DATE
| TEXT
| Timestamp
| TIMESTAMP
| DATETIME
| TEXT
| With timezone
| TIMESTAMPTZ
| TIMESTAMP
| TEXT
Boolean
| BOOLEAN
| TINYINT(1)
| INTEGER
Common Patterns
Users Table
CREATE TABLE users (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
email VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
password_hash VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
name VARCHAR(100),
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email);
One-to-Many (Orders → Order Items)
CREATE TABLE orders (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
user_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id),
status VARCHAR(20) DEFAULT 'pending',
total NUMERIC(10,2),
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
CREATE TABLE order_items (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
order_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES orders(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
product_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES products(id),
quantity INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
unit_price NUMERIC(10,2) NOT NULL
);
CREATE INDEX idx_order_items_order ON order_items(order_id);
Many-to-Many (Users ↔ Roles)
CREATE TABLE roles (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL UNIQUE
);
CREATE TABLE user_roles (
user_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
role_id INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES roles(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
PRIMARY KEY (user_id, role_id)
);
Soft Delete Pattern
CREATE TABLE posts (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
content TEXT,
deleted_at TIMESTAMP NULL, -- NULL = not deleted
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
-- Query active posts
SELECT * FROM posts WHERE deleted_at IS NULL;
Audit Trail Pattern
CREATE TABLE audit_log (
id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
table_name VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
record_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
action VARCHAR(10) NOT NULL, -- INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
old_values JSONB,
new_values JSONB,
user_id INTEGER REFERENCES users(id),
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
CREATE INDEX idx_audit_table_record ON audit_log(table_name, record_id);
Best Practices
-
Always define PRIMARY KEY - Every table needs one
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Use foreign keys - Enforce referential integrity
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Add NOT NULL - Unless the column is truly optional
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Create indexes - On foreign keys and frequently queried columns
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Use appropriate types - Don't store numbers as strings
-
Add timestamps -
created_atandupdated_atare almost always useful -
Name consistently -
user_idnotuserIdorUserID -
Avoid reserved words - Don't name columns
order,user,group
Migration Safety
When modifying existing tables:
-- Safe: Adding nullable column
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN phone VARCHAR(20);
-- Safe: Adding column with default
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN active BOOLEAN DEFAULT true;
-- Caution: Adding NOT NULL (requires default or backfill)
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active';
-- Caution: Dropping column (data loss)
ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN old_column;
-- Caution: Changing type (may fail on existing data)
ALTER TABLE users ALTER COLUMN age TYPE INTEGER;