relational-databaseentity-attribute-valuedatabase-design

(Database Design - products attributes): What is better option for product attribute database design?


I new in database design. What is better option for product attribute database design for cms?(Please suggest other options also).

option 1: 1 table

products{
id
product_name
color
price
attribute_name1
attribute_value1
attribute_name2
attribute_value2
attribute_name3
attribute_value3
}

option 2: 3 tables

products{
id
product_name
color
price
}

attribute{
id
name
value
}

products_attribute{
products_id
attribute_id
}

Solution

  • You're making a common mistake of database design, storing name in one column and value in another column. This is not a relational database design.

    Each attribute should be named by the column name. Color, pages, shirt size, publish date, should be column names.

    If each product type has a distinct set of attributes, there are other solutions. See my answers to:

    Also please read this story: Bad CaRMa: Introducing Vision before you implement a database designed around name-value pairs as you are doing.