Physical data models are used to describe how the data is stored at the lowest level.
The physical data model shows in diagram form, the actual representation of the physical tables and views in a database and the relationships between them. Instead of using the more English-like business names for the tables, shorter abbreviated physical table names are used (i.e., “T_PERS_HIST†instead of “Person Historyâ€). Because it shows the actual table names, the physical model is a key reference when writing queries directly against the database. ()
A formal representation of data and their relationships in the form of a diagram, depicting the physical placement of data in a database. A physical data model is process dependent, which means that it is denormalized to provide maximum performance efficiency. It is commonly referred to as logical database design or database design schema.
a database-specific model that represents relational data objects (for example, tables, columns, primary keys, and foreign keys) and their relationships
a single logical model instantiated in a specific management product (eg, Sybase, Oracle,
The "physical" product of the database design process which is the "coded" representation of the "conceptual data model."
Derives from the Logical data model. Storage and performance may dictate changes to the model.
A physical data model (a.k.a. database design) is a representation of a data design which takes into account the facilities and constraints of a given database management system. In the lifecycle of a project it is typically derived from a logical data model, though it may be reverse-engineered from a given database implementation. A complete physical data model will include all the database artifacts required to create relationships between tables or achieve performance goals, such as indexes, constraint definitions, linking tables, partitioned tables or clusters.