What is a Database Schema?

In database terms, a schema (pronounced “skee-muh” or “skee-mah”) is the organisation and structure of a database. Both schemas and schemata can be used as plural forms.

A schema contains schema objects, which could be tablescolumns, data types, views, stored procedures, relationships, primary keys, foreign keys, etc.

A database schema can be represented in a visual diagram, which shows the database objects and their relationship with each other.

Screenshot of a database schema.
A basic schema diagram representing a small three-table database.

Above is a simple example of a schema diagram. It shows three tables, along with their data types, relationships between the tables, as well as their primary keys and foreign keys.

Continue reading

How to Reverse Engineer a Database in MySQL Workbench

To reverse engineer a database in MySQL Workbench:

  1. Select Database > Reverse Engineer from the top menu of MySQL Workbench
  2. Set/review parameters for connecting to the DBMS then click Continue
  3. Enter password if required, then click OK
  4. The wizard will connect to the DBMS, fetch a list of databases, and check for any issues. Click Continue
  5. Select the database/s you would like to reverse engineer, then click Continue
  6. The wizard will retrieve all objects from the selected schema/s and check the results. Click Continue
  7. Select the database objects you’d like to have reverse engineered, then click Execute
  8. The wizard will now reverse engineer all selected objects and generate the EER diagram (behind the scenes). Click Continue
  9. A summary is displayed. Click Close

The EER diagram is now displayed on the screen.

Continue reading