A schema defines the infrastructure of this box.
Data Asset Containers
At its basic level, a schema serves as a container for data assets.
However, different database vendors structure their schemas in different ways.
Oracle, for example, treats every schema as a user account.
To create a new schema, a database administrator creates a new database user with the intended schema name.
For example, a company database might contain a series of users.
Most database management tools don’t list schemas; instead, they list databases and users.
For example, a company creates user accounts (schemas) for Bob and Jane.
It also creates accounts for departments like HR and Marketing.
Then, it gives an analyst in each department access to their department’s schema account.
Every database engine looks to schemas as the foundational method of segregating data in a multi-user environment.
Different database engines treat users and schemas differently.
Creating Schemas
A schema is formally defined using Structured Query Language (SQL).
Instead, it’s an infrastructure to support segmentation permissions in a database.
A data model is a collection of tables and views joined on specific keys.
These data assets, together, serve a business purpose.
For example, the HR department might include a data model for employee performance reviews in its schema.
The employee listing table might be referenced ashr.pr_employeewithout requiring a new schema for the performance reviews.
FAQ
A database scheme describes the database.
A relational schema outlines the relationships between tables and items that are associated with one another.
A schema can be a graphic illustration or chart, or it can be written in SQL code.
