| name | database-design |
| description | Database design principles and decision-making. Schema design, indexing strategy, ORM selection, serverless databases. |
| when_to_use | When designing database schemas, choosing ORMs, planning migrations, or optimizing queries. When working with Prisma, Drizzle, or SQL files. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep |
| version | 1.0.0 |
Database Design
Learn to THINK, not copy SQL patterns.
🎯 Selective Reading Rule
Read ONLY files relevant to the request! Check the content map, find what you need.
| File | Description | When to Read |
|---|
database-selection.md | PostgreSQL vs Neon vs Turso vs SQLite | Choosing database |
orm-selection.md | Drizzle vs Prisma vs Kysely | Choosing ORM |
schema-design.md | Normalization, PKs, relationships | Designing schema |
indexing.md | Index types, composite indexes | Performance tuning |
optimization.md | N+1, EXPLAIN ANALYZE | Query optimization |
migrations.md | Safe migrations, serverless DBs | Schema changes |
⚠️ Core Principle
- ASK user for database preferences when unclear
- Choose database/ORM based on CONTEXT
- Don't default to PostgreSQL for everything
Decision Checklist
Before designing schema:
Anti-Patterns
❌ Default to PostgreSQL for simple apps (SQLite may suffice)
❌ Skip indexing
❌ Use SELECT * in production
❌ Store JSON when structured data is better
❌ Ignore N+1 queries
