Database Schema Designer
Universal
by alirezarezvani
Tier: POWERFUL
安装
claude skill add --url github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills/tree/main/engineering/database-schema-designer文档
Tier: POWERFUL
Category: Engineering
Domain: Data Architecture / Backend
Overview
Design relational database schemas from requirements and generate migrations, TypeScript/Python types, seed data, RLS policies, and indexes. Handles multi-tenancy, soft deletes, audit trails, versioning, and polymorphic associations.
Core Capabilities
- Schema design — normalize requirements into tables, relationships, constraints
- Migration generation — Drizzle, Prisma, TypeORM, Alembic
- Type generation — TypeScript interfaces, Python dataclasses/Pydantic models
- RLS policies — Row-Level Security for multi-tenant apps
- Index strategy — composite indexes, partial indexes, covering indexes
- Seed data — realistic test data generation
- ERD generation — Mermaid diagram from schema
When to Use
- Designing a new feature that needs database tables
- Reviewing a schema for performance or normalization issues
- Adding multi-tenancy to an existing schema
- Generating TypeScript types from a Prisma schema
- Planning a schema migration for a breaking change
Schema Design Process
Step 1: Requirements → Entities
Given requirements:
"Users can create projects. Each project has tasks. Tasks can have labels. Tasks can be assigned to users. We need a full audit trail."
Extract entities:
code
User, Project, Task, Label, TaskLabel (junction), TaskAssignment, AuditLog
Step 2: Identify Relationships
code
User 1──* Project (owner)
Project 1──* Task
Task *──* Label (via TaskLabel)
Task *──* User (via TaskAssignment)
User 1──* AuditLog
Step 3: Add Cross-cutting Concerns
- Multi-tenancy: add
organization_idto all tenant-scoped tables - Soft deletes: add
deleted_at TIMESTAMPTZinstead of hard deletes - Audit trail: add
created_by,updated_by,created_at,updated_at - Versioning: add
version INTEGERfor optimistic locking
Full Schema Example (Task Management SaaS)
Prisma Schema
prisma
// schema.prisma
generator client {
provider = "prisma-client-js"
}
datasource db {
provider = "postgresql"
url = env("DATABASE_URL")
}
// ── Multi-tenancy ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
model Organization {
id String @id @default(cuid())
name String
slug String @unique
plan Plan @default(FREE)
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
deletedAt DateTime? @map("deleted_at")
users OrganizationMember[]
projects Project[]
auditLogs AuditLog[]
@@map("organizations")
}
model OrganizationMember {
id String @id @default(cuid())
organizationId String @map("organization_id")
userId String @map("user_id")
role OrgRole @default(MEMBER)
joinedAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("joined_at")
organization Organization @relation(fields: [organizationId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
@@unique([organizationId, userId])
@@index([userId])
@@map("organization_members")
}
model User {
id String @id @default(cuid())
email String @unique
name String?
avatarUrl String? @map("avatar_url")
passwordHash String? @map("password_hash")
emailVerifiedAt DateTime? @map("email_verified_at")
lastLoginAt DateTime? @map("last_login_at")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
deletedAt DateTime? @map("deleted_at")
memberships OrganizationMember[]
ownedProjects Project[] @relation("ProjectOwner")
assignedTasks TaskAssignment[]
comments Comment[]
auditLogs AuditLog[]
@@map("users")
}
// ── Core entities ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
model Project {
id String @id @default(cuid())
organizationId String @map("organization_id")
ownerId String @map("owner_id")
name String
description String?
status ProjectStatus @default(ACTIVE)
settings Json @default("{}")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
deletedAt DateTime? @map("deleted_at")
organization Organization @relation(fields: [organizationId], references: [id])
owner User @relation("ProjectOwner", fields: [ownerId], references: [id])
tasks Task[]
labels Label[]
@@index([organizationId])
@@index([organizationId, status])
@@index([deletedAt])
@@map("projects")
}
model Task {
id String @id @default(cuid())
projectId String @map("project_id")
title String
description String?
status TaskStatus @default(TODO)
priority Priority @default(MEDIUM)
dueDate DateTime? @map("due_date")
position Float @default(0) // For drag-and-drop ordering
version Int @default(1) // Optimistic locking
createdById String @map("created_by_id")
updatedById String @map("updated_by_id")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
deletedAt DateTime? @map("deleted_at")
project Project @relation(fields: [projectId], references: [id])
assignments TaskAssignment[]
labels TaskLabel[]
comments Comment[]
attachments Attachment[]
@@index([projectId])
@@index([projectId, status])
@@index([projectId, deletedAt])
@@index([dueDate], where: { deletedAt: null }) // Partial index
@@map("tasks")
}
// ── Polymorphic attachments ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
model Attachment {
id String @id @default(cuid())
// Polymorphic association
entityType String @map("entity_type") // "task" | "comment"
entityId String @map("entity_id")
filename String
mimeType String @map("mime_type")
sizeBytes Int @map("size_bytes")
storageKey String @map("storage_key") // S3 key
uploadedById String @map("uploaded_by_id")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
// Only one concrete relation (task) — polymorphic handled at app level
task Task? @relation(fields: [entityId], references: [id], map: "attachment_task_fk")
@@index([entityType, entityId])
@@map("attachments")
}
// ── Audit trail ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
model AuditLog {
id String @id @default(cuid())
organizationId String @map("organization_id")
userId String? @map("user_id")
action String // "task.created", "task.status_changed"
entityType String @map("entity_type")
entityId String @map("entity_id")
before Json? // Previous state
after Json? // New state
ipAddress String? @map("ip_address")
userAgent String? @map("user_agent")
createdAt DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
organization Organization @relation(fields: [organizationId], references: [id])
user User? @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
@@index([organizationId, createdAt(sort: Desc)])
@@index([entityType, entityId])
@@index([userId])
@@map("audit_logs")
}
enum Plan { FREE STARTER GROWTH ENTERPRISE }
enum OrgRole { OWNER ADMIN MEMBER VIEWER }
enum ProjectStatus { ACTIVE ARCHIVED }
enum TaskStatus { TODO IN_PROGRESS IN_REVIEW DONE CANCELLED }
enum Priority { LOW MEDIUM HIGH CRITICAL }
Drizzle Schema (TypeScript)
typescript
// db/schema.ts
import {
pgTable, text, timestamp, integer, boolean,
varchar, jsonb, real, pgEnum, uniqueIndex, index,
} from 'drizzle-orm/pg-core'
import { createId } from '@paralleldrive/cuid2'
export const taskStatusEnum = pgEnum('task_status', [
'todo', 'in_progress', 'in_review', 'done', 'cancelled'
])
export const priorityEnum = pgEnum('priority', ['low', 'medium', 'high', 'critical'])
export const tasks = pgTable('tasks', {
id: text('id').primaryKey().$defaultFn(() => createId()),
projectId: text('project_id').notNull().references(() => projects.id),
title: varchar('title', { length: 500 }).notNull(),
description: text('description'),
status: taskStatusEnum('status').notNull().default('todo'),
priority: priorityEnum('priority').notNull().default('medium'),
dueDate: timestamp('due_date', { withTimezone: true }),
position: real('position').notNull().default(0),
version: integer('version').notNull().default(1),
createdById: text('created_by_id').notNull().references(() => users.id),
updatedById: text('updated_by_id').notNull().references(() => users.id),
createdAt: timestamp('created_at', { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(),
updatedAt: timestamp('updated_at', { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(),
deletedAt: timestamp('deleted_at', { withTimezone: true }),
}, (table) => ({
projectIdx: index('tasks_project_id_idx').on(table.projectId),
projectStatusIdx: index('tasks_project_status_idx').on(table.projectId, table.status),
}))
// Infer TypeScript types
export type Task = typeof tasks.$inferSelect
export type NewTask = typeof tasks.$inferInsert
Alembic Migration (Python / SQLAlchemy)
python
# alembic/versions/20260301_create_tasks.py
"""Create tasks table
Revision ID: a1b2c3d4e5f6
Revises: previous_revision
Create Date: 2026-03-01 12:00:00
"""
from alembic import op
import sqlalchemy as sa
from sqlalchemy.dialects import postgresql
revision = 'a1b2c3d4e5f6'
down_revision = 'previous_revision'
def upgrade() -> None:
# Create enums
task_status = postgresql.ENUM(
'todo', 'in_progress', 'in_review', 'done', 'cancelled',
name='task_status'
)
task_status.create(op.get_bind())
op.create_table(
'tasks',
sa.Column('id', sa.Text(), primary_key=True),
sa.Column('project_id', sa.Text(), sa.ForeignKey('projects.id'), nullable=False),
sa.Column('title', sa.VARCHAR(500), nullable=False),
sa.Column('description', sa.Text()),
sa.Column('status', postgresql.ENUM('todo', 'in_progress', 'in_review', 'done', 'cancelled', name='task_status', create_type=False), nullable=False, server_default='todo'),
sa.Column('priority', sa.Text(), nullable=False, server_default='medium'),
sa.Column('due_date', sa.TIMESTAMP(timezone=True)),
sa.Column('position', sa.Float(), nullable=False, server_default='0'),
sa.Column('version', sa.Integer(), nullable=False, server_default='1'),
sa.Column('created_by_id', sa.Text(), sa.ForeignKey('users.id'), nullable=False),
sa.Column('updated_by_id', sa.Text(), sa.ForeignKey('users.id'), nullable=False),
sa.Column('created_at', sa.TIMESTAMP(timezone=True), nullable=False, server_default=sa.text('NOW()')),
sa.Column('updated_at', sa.TIMESTAMP(timezone=True), nullable=False, server_default=sa.text('NOW()')),
sa.Column('deleted_at', sa.TIMESTAMP(timezone=True)),
)
# Indexes
op.create_index('tasks_project_id_idx', 'tasks', ['project_id'])
op.create_index('tasks_project_status_idx', 'tasks', ['project_id', 'status'])
# Partial index for active tasks only
op.create_index(
'tasks_due_date_active_idx',
'tasks', ['due_date'],
postgresql_where=sa.text('deleted_at IS NULL')
)
def downgrade() -> None:
op.drop_table('tasks')
op.execute("DROP TYPE IF EXISTS task_status")
Row-Level Security (RLS) Policies
sql
-- Enable RLS
ALTER TABLE tasks ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
ALTER TABLE projects ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
-- Create app role
CREATE ROLE app_user;
-- Users can only see tasks in their organization's projects
CREATE POLICY tasks_org_isolation ON tasks
FOR ALL TO app_user
USING (
project_id IN (
SELECT p.id FROM projects p
JOIN organization_members om ON om.organization_id = p.organization_id
WHERE om.user_id = current_setting('app.current_user_id')::text
)
);
-- Soft delete: never show deleted records
CREATE POLICY tasks_no_deleted ON tasks
FOR SELECT TO app_user
USING (deleted_at IS NULL);
-- Only task creator or admin can delete
CREATE POLICY tasks_delete_policy ON tasks
FOR DELETE TO app_user
USING (
created_by_id = current_setting('app.current_user_id')::text
OR EXISTS (
SELECT 1 FROM organization_members om
JOIN projects p ON p.organization_id = om.organization_id
WHERE p.id = tasks.project_id
AND om.user_id = current_setting('app.current_user_id')::text
AND om.role IN ('owner', 'admin')
)
);
-- Set user context (call at start of each request)
SELECT set_config('app.current_user_id', $1, true);
Seed Data Generation
typescript
// db/seed.ts
import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker'
import { db } from './client'
import { organizations, users, projects, tasks } from './schema'
import { createId } from '@paralleldrive/cuid2'
import { hashPassword } from '../src/lib/auth'
async function seed() {
console.log('Seeding database...')
// Create org
const [org] = await db.insert(organizations).values({
id: createId(),
name: 'Acme Corp',
slug: 'acme',
plan: 'growth',
}).returning()
// Create users
const adminUser = await db.insert(users).values({
id: createId(),
email: 'admin@acme.com',
name: 'Alice Admin',
passwordHash: await hashPassword('password123'),
}).returning().then(r => r[0])
// Create projects
const projectsData = Array.from({ length: 3 }, () => ({
id: createId(),
organizationId: org.id,
ownerId: adminUser.id,
name: faker.company.catchPhrase(),
description: faker.lorem.paragraph(),
status: 'active' as const,
}))
const createdProjects = await db.insert(projects).values(projectsData).returning()
// Create tasks for each project
for (const project of createdProjects) {
const tasksData = Array.from({ length: faker.number.int({ min: 5, max: 20 }) }, (_, i) => ({
id: createId(),
projectId: project.id,
title: faker.hacker.phrase(),
description: faker.lorem.sentences(2),
status: faker.helpers.arrayElement(['todo', 'in_progress', 'done'] as const),
priority: faker.helpers.arrayElement(['low', 'medium', 'high'] as const),
position: i * 1000,
createdById: adminUser.id,
updatedById: adminUser.id,
}))
await db.insert(tasks).values(tasksData)
}
console.log(`✅ Seeded: 1 org, ${projectsData.length} projects, tasks`)
}
seed().catch(console.error).finally(() => process.exit(0))
ERD Generation (Mermaid)
code
erDiagram
Organization ||--o{ OrganizationMember : has
Organization ||--o{ Project : owns
User ||--o{ OrganizationMember : joins
User ||--o{ Task : "created by"
Project ||--o{ Task : contains
Task ||--o{ TaskAssignment : has
Task ||--o{ TaskLabel : has
Task ||--o{ Comment : has
Task ||--o{ Attachment : has
Label ||--o{ TaskLabel : "applied to"
User ||--o{ TaskAssignment : assigned
Organization {
string id PK
string name
string slug
string plan
}
Task {
string id PK
string project_id FK
string title
string status
string priority
timestamp due_date
timestamp deleted_at
int version
}
Generate from Prisma:
bash
npx prisma-erd-generator
# or: npx @dbml/cli prisma2dbml -i schema.prisma | npx dbml-to-mermaid
Common Pitfalls
- Soft delete without index —
WHERE deleted_at IS NULLwithout index = full scan - Missing composite indexes —
WHERE org_id = ? AND status = ?needs a composite index - Mutable surrogate keys — never use email or slug as PK; use UUID/CUID
- Non-nullable without default — adding a NOT NULL column to existing table requires default or migration plan
- No optimistic locking — concurrent updates overwrite each other; add
versioncolumn - RLS not tested — always test RLS with a non-superuser role
Best Practices
- Timestamps everywhere —
created_at,updated_aton every table - Soft deletes for auditable data —
deleted_atinstead of DELETE - Audit log for compliance — log before/after JSON for regulated domains
- UUIDs or CUIDs as PKs — avoid sequential integer leakage
- Index foreign keys — every FK column should have an index
- Partial indexes — use
WHERE deleted_at IS NULLfor active-only queries - RLS over application-level filtering — database enforces tenancy, not just app code