Database Design Activities — DBMS Knowledge Requirements Which of the following database activities specifically requires detailed knowledge of a particular DBMS (syntax, storage, indexing, and performance features)?

Introduction:
Database development proceeds from high-level business understanding to platform-specific implementation. This question evaluates whether you can separate platform-neutral activities from those that demand deep, DBMS-specific expertise.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The listed activities span early analysis through physical implementation.
• Only one activity needs specific DBMS knowledge (DDL, storage, tuning).
• Others are methodology-driven and remain platform-independent.

Concept / Approach:
Enterprise modeling and conceptual modeling capture the business context and high-level entities. Logical design defines attributes, relationships, and constraints but remains DBMS-agnostic. Physical design and definition map the logical model to a specific DBMS using concrete objects (tables, indexes, partitions) and vendor-specific features (tablespaces, filegroups, compression, indexing methods).

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify platform-neutral phases: enterprise, conceptual, and logical modeling.2) Recognize the phase where SQL DDL, storage parameters, and performance strategies must be chosen.3) Conclude that physical database design and definition requires DBMS-specific knowledge.

Verification / Alternative check:
DBMS documentation (for example, index types, partitioning syntax) directly informs physical design choices, confirming the dependence on the target platform.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Enterprise modeling: Business scope and priorities; no DBMS details.
• Conceptual data modeling: ER-level abstraction; independent of SQL dialect.
• Logical database design: Normalization and constraints; still platform-neutral.
• Requirements gathering: Stakeholder needs, not DBMS specifics.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing logical and physical design. Logical answers the “what,” physical answers the “how” on a specific DBMS.

Final Answer:
Physical database design and definition