Data Structure for Developers
Nearly any application developed on the SimpleOne platform involves:
- The information exchange between users, third-party services and the application itself.
- The data processing. It means that the application receives the information, processes, and stores it. Then the information is consumed by the user and third-party services.
It is important to approach the design and preparation of the data structure that will be used to store and process information based on the business task for which the application is implemented.
Although data and information are similar in meaning, there is a significant difference between them. Information is accurate and structured data. In other words, before the data becomes information, it must be structured. To build a data structure, a data model is used.
A data model is an abstract description of the data structure that defines the relationships between data, how data is processed, and how one data element is related to another.
There are various data models that differ in their approach to describing data structure. For example, a hierarchy model describes data as a tree structure that consists of objects of different levels. SimpleOne uses the relational data model based on relations and operations with them. The main concepts of the relational data model are relation, attribute, tuple, and primary key. In the SimpleOne data structure, they correspond to the table, column, table row, which has a unique identifier within the table.
| Relation | Table |
|---|---|
| Attribute | Column |
| Tuple | Table row |
| Primary key | Identifier |
Tables
SimpleOne stores all its data and business logic configurations as records in specific tables.
In this set of articles, learn about the role of tables in SimpleOne and their properties that are important for designing a data structure. A separate article describes the classification of tables.
Columns
Tables consist of columns. Each column corresponds to a specific attribute of an information object and has its own data type.
In this set of articles, learn about properties and attributes of columns that are important for designing a data structure, dot-walking in scripts, how to change the column name and type in specific cases.
Records
The record is represented as a relational table row. It is a collection of logically related fields that corresponds to a particular instance of an information object. Each record in the system has a unique identifier.
In this article, learn about the record attributes and operations with them.
Extend Data Models
Instead of creating a data model from scratch, SimpleOne allows you to adapt the "out-of-the-box" data structures to suit the requirements of the business solution.
In this article, learn about the data model extension methods available in SimpleOne. Each method has its own scope, advantages, and disadvantages.
Version Control of Data Structure Changes
All changes to the data model, regardless of its methods, are collected in configuration packages and applications. This article provides general recommendations for creating configuration packages and applications.