What are the 6 main steps of database development?
When planning your next development project, it’s good to have an eye on the whole process. What are the 6 main steps of database development and how can you follow them to ensure a more successful deployment? Read on.
Planning
The first step is always to get the right people in the room and make a list of end-user requirements. Then you’ll agree on the objectives, restrain the scope and ensure there are enough internal and external resources to get it done in the time allotted. If you are short on dev talent, bring in an agency like ours to help you.
Understanding
Once there’s a general idea of what’s needed, it’s time to go deeper. In this phase, you want to nail down the data needs, queries, reports and functionality of the database development project. Here is also where you’ll want to document everything, analyse and validate assumptions and prioritise what will be worked on first. This will also help you create an implementation sequence for later on.
Analysis
Once everyone is aligned, you’ll want to look at what’s currently in place. Analysing the present infrastructure and related systems which will need integration can help you start to understand how the database will work. Lastly, in this phase, you’ll perform data modelling to move from conceptualisation to action.
Design
Now is the meat and potatoes part of database development – the design. This will take up more than half of the project timeframe. It’s where you’ll create the data architecture, choose storage solutions, define the scheme & relationships and create all the interfaces and data access layers. This is where your requirements start to come to life and you create a picture of what the end result will look like. Most teams will use partial or dummy data for the design phase.
Implementation
Once you have all the pieces aligned, you’ll install the DBMS and load the new database with all of your real company information. All the designs and ideas you create above will now become reality. In this phase, you’re able to see how the elements like data structures, coded triggers, data exports and integrations are all working in reality.
Testing & Maintenance
Finally, you’ll put everything through its paces. It’s not just unit and integration testing that happens in this part. You’re also validating performance and data integrity. You’ll carry out UAT and find where you’re running into issues, bugs or bottlenecks. Having a system for recording and prioritising tickets will help this part of the process go more smoothly. Lastly, and often overlooked, you need to maintain it and do the routine optimisation tasks, install updates & patches and monitor performance. It also is how your end users can request new features and get support with their issues while learning to use the new system.
If you don’t have an internal team who can support you with database development, reach out today. We’d love to help you make the most of your business data and benefit from all the innovations in development that have burst onto the scene in recent years.
