Advice for a database design beginner

Designing databases is a full time profession. Some of the people who design databases almost treat it like a religion. In order to be able to do a usable job, you can read a few books and experiment a bit. In order to design databases professionally you really need to be formally trained.

Formal database training comes in several forms. The most thorough form is a university education, followed by at least two years of experience with some additional coursework/conferences. A workable form of education for database design that is good enough for many business needs is a degree in programming with an emphasis in data modeling and relational design.

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