Databases are universal - they underlie the technology you use every day. They're a crucial component of everything from telecommunications systems, banking systems, and video games to just about any other software system that maintains some amount of persistent data.

In this course, you'll learn about the fundamental concepts of databases, why and when they're used, what relational databases are, and entity-relationship diagrams. You will also be exposed to techniques like normalization that help to increase the efficiency of databases. You'll wrap up with a look at the basics of Structured Query Language (SQL). 

After completing this course, you will be able to move onto more advanced courses involving database systems and SQL.

Database Design Fundamentals for Software Engineers

## Database schema

A schema is the blueprint of a database. The names of tables, columns of each table, datatype, functions, and other objects are included in the schema.

We use the **schema diagram** to display the schema of a database. The schema diagram for the university database can be seen below:

# Database schema

A schema is the blueprint of a database. The names of tables, columns of each table, datatype, functions, and other objects are included in the schema.

We use the **schema diagram** to display the schema of a database. The schema diagram for the university database can be seen below:

The schema and instance are the essential terms related to databases. In this lesson, we will discuss the key differences between the two.

Introduction

Fundamental Concepts

Data Modeling

Entity-Relationship Data Model

The Relational Data Model

Functional Dependencies

Normalization

Structured Query Language

Conclusion

Schemas and Instances

Database schema