Once a database is designed “correctly” the first time, it will never need redesign or refactoring in the future. Is this claim valid given evolving business requirements and workloads?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Incorrect

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Database schemas are living artifacts. Even a well-designed schema must adapt to new features, regulations, volumes, and performance constraints. This question challenges the idea that an initially perfect design eliminates future redesign.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Business rules evolve (pricing, tax, products, workflows).
  • Nonfunctional needs change (scale, latency, availability).
  • Technology shifts (new engines, indexing, partitioning).



Concept / Approach:
Good design anticipates change via normalization, abstraction, and modularity, but cannot foresee everything. Redesign may introduce new entities, refactor relationships, partition large tables, or denormalize selectively for analytics.



Step-by-Step Solution:
Monitor pain points (slow queries, anomalies).Collect requirements and profile data usage.Propose minimal, consistent schema changes.Test migrations with representative loads.Deploy iteratively with rollback strategies.



Verification / Alternative check:
Historical change logs in mature systems show periodic schema evolution driven by real-world needs.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Using BCNF or being read-only does not freeze requirements; archival systems may still need new compliance attributes or access patterns.



Common Pitfalls:
Deferring necessary refactors; making piecemeal changes that create inconsistencies.



Final Answer:
Incorrect

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