database-design
Design database schemas — tables, relationships, indexes, constraints, and ORM setup. Covers relational design, normalization, and common patterns.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill database-design- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads database-design automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Database Design
Design a database schema from requirements.
Workflow
1. Identify Entities
From the requirements, extract the core entities (nouns):
- Users, Teams, Projects, Tasks, Comments, etc.
- Each entity becomes a table
2. Define Relationships
| Relationship | Implementation |
|---|---|
| One-to-one | Foreign key with unique constraint, or embed in same table |
| One-to-many | Foreign key on the "many" side |
| Many-to-many | Junction/join table |
| Self-referential | Foreign key pointing to same table (e.g. parent_id) |
3. Design the Schema
For each table:
CREATE TABLE users (
id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
email TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
avatar_url TEXT,
created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT now()
);
CREATE TABLE projects (
id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
name TEXT NOT NULL,
owner_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT now()
);
4. Apply Best Practices
Primary keys:
- Use
UUIDfor distributed systems or public-facing IDs - Use
SERIAL/BIGSERIALfor internal-only IDs (faster joins)
Timestamps:
- Always add
created_atandupdated_at - Use
TIMESTAMPTZ(with timezone), neverTIMESTAMP
Naming:
- Tables: plural snake_case (
users,project_members) - Columns: singular snake_case (
user_id,created_at) - Indexes:
idx_<table>_<columns>(idx_users_email)
Constraints:
NOT NULLon everything unless it's genuinely optionalUNIQUEon natural keys (email, slug, external IDs)REFERENCESwithON DELETEbehavior (CASCADE, SET NULL, RESTRICT)CHECKconstraints for enums or value ranges
5. Add Indexes
-- For columns you filter/sort by frequently
CREATE INDEX idx_projects_owner_id ON projects(owner_id);
-- For unique lookups
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email);
-- Composite for common query patterns
CREATE INDEX idx_tasks_project_status ON tasks(project_id, status);
When to index:
- Foreign keys (almost always)
- Columns in WHERE clauses
- Columns in ORDER BY
- Columns in JOIN conditions
When NOT to index:
- Small tables (<1000 rows)
- Columns with low cardinality (boolean, status with 3 values)
- Columns that are rarely queried
6. ORM Setup
Prisma:
model User {
id String @id @default(uuid())
email String @unique
name String
projects Project[]
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
@@map("users")
}
Drizzle:
export const users = pgTable('users', {
id: uuid('id').primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
email: text('email').notNull().unique(),
name: text('name').notNull(),
createdAt: timestamp('created_at', { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(),
updatedAt: timestamp('updated_at', { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(),
});
Common Patterns
Soft deletes: Add deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZ instead of actually deleting rows
Audit log: Separate audit_events table with entity_type, entity_id, action, actor_id, payload
Tags/labels: Junction table (task_tags) with task_id + tag_id
Tree/hierarchy: parent_id self-reference, or materialized path (/1/4/7/)
Polymorphic associations: Use entity_type + entity_id columns (avoid if possible, prefer separate FKs)
Tips
- Start normalized (3NF), denormalize only when you have measured performance problems
- Don't store derived data unless you have a caching/invalidation strategy
- Use database enums or check constraints for status fields, not free-text
- Always think about what happens when you delete a parent record
FAQ
What does the database-design skill do?
Design database schemas — tables, relationships, indexes, constraints, and ORM setup. Covers relational design, normalization, and common patterns.
How do I install database-design?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills --skill database-design in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/database-design/ (personal) or .claude/skills/database-design/ (project).
Which AI agents can use database-design?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is database-design safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains database-design?
It is published by spencerpauly in spencerpauly/awesome-cursor-skills. It has 467 recorded installs.
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