Data Modelling

Programme overview

Every reliable report sits on a well-designed model. Learn to turn business questions into entities and keys, draw entity-relationship diagrams in crow's-foot notation, normalise away repeated data, and design the star schemas that Power BI and data warehouses run on. Every lesson is built around diagrams, and you practise on real databases in your browser.

Curriculum

1. 01What Is a Data Model?15 min

   • What is a data model?Why data needs a design before it needs a dashboard, and the three levels a model moves through - conceptual, logical and physical.
2. 02Entities, Attributes and Grain15 min

   • Entities, attributes and grainTurn things into tables and facts into columns, choose data types, and state the grain - what one row means.
3. 03Keys25 min

   • KeysPrimary keys, foreign keys, natural and surrogate keys, and composite keys - the columns that hold a model together.
4. 04Relationships and Cardinality20 min

   • Relationships and cardinalityOne-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many relationships, optional vs mandatory, and why many-to-many needs a bridge table.
5. 05Entity-Relationship Diagrams15 min

   • Entity-relationship diagramsRead and draw ERDs in crow's-foot notation, and use one to plan any query across several tables.
6. 06Normalisation15 min

   • NormalisationRemove repetition step by step - first, second and third normal form - so every fact is stored exactly once.
7. 07Dimensional Modelling15 min

   • Dimensional modellingModel for analysis with facts and dimensions, choose the grain first, and build the star schema that Power BI works best with.
8. 08Stars, Snowflakes, Dates and History15 min

   • Stars, snowflakes, dates and historyWhen to snowflake a dimension, why every model needs a date dimension, and how to keep history when attributes change.
9. 09Modelling in Practice15 min

   • Modelling in practiceA repeatable process for designing a model, turning it into tables, and testing it with real queries before anyone builds a report on it.

Assessment and certificate

You are assessed with a final assessment (pass mark 60%) and a final project. Your certificate is awarded when you meet those requirements. Paying for the programme does not award it on its own.