[DEE-0] DEE Overview
INFO
DEE (Database Engineering Essentials) is a collection of guidelines and best practices for designing databases in application development.
Context
Databases are the backbone of most applications. Poor database design leads to performance bottlenecks, data integrity issues, and maintenance nightmares. DEE provides a structured, numbered set of principles to guide database design decisions -- from schema modeling to operations.
Purpose
- Establish shared vocabulary and conventions for database design discussions
- Provide actionable guidance for common database design decisions
- Serve as a learning resource for developers at all experience levels
- Document both relational and non-relational design patterns
How to Read DEEs
Each DEE follows a consistent structure:
- Context -- Why this principle matters
- Principle -- The core guidance (uses RFC 2119 keywords: MUST, SHOULD, MAY)
- Visual -- Diagrams where they aid understanding
- Example -- Concrete SQL, code, or configuration
- Common Mistakes -- Anti-patterns to avoid
- Related DEEs -- Cross-references to other principles
- References -- External resources for deeper learning
Categories
| Range | Category | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | DEE Overall | Purpose, glossary, meta |
| 10-29 | Fundamentals | ACID, CAP, data modeling basics |
| 100-149 | Relational Design | Normalization, keys, constraints |
| 150-199 | Indexing and Storage | Index types, storage engines, partitioning |
| 200-299 | Query and Performance | Optimization, execution plans, N+1 |
| 300-399 | Schema Evolution | Migrations, backward compatibility |
| 400-449 | NoSQL Patterns | Document, key-value, column-family, graph |
| 450-499 | Caching and Search | Redis, Elasticsearch, cache strategies |
| 500-599 | Application Patterns | Connection pooling, ORM, multi-tenancy |
| 600-699 | Operations | Backup, replication, sharding, monitoring |
Related Resources
- ADE -- API Design Essentials (deep dive on API design)
- BEE -- Backend Engineering Essentials (broad backend engineering guidelines)
Maintainer
Alive Kuo -- alegnadise@gmail.com
Related DEEs
- DEE-5 Glossary