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physical data model

/ˈfɪz.ɪ.kəl ˈdeɪ.tə ˈmɒd.əl/ - n.

1 [colloq.] What was actually built, which the logical model has agreed never to look at directly.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. The implementation-specific model defining tables, columns, types, keys, indexes, and constraints as deployed in a given platform.

Filed

See also

data dictionaryA faithful description of the column named 'cust_status_2_final', whose meaning died with its author.
denormalizationCopying the value into six tables so the dashboard loads faster, then learning which copy is wrong six tables at a time.
logical data modelThe clean diagram approved at kickoff, preserved unchanged precisely because the database stopped resembling it in week two.
schema designAn afternoon of careful structure followed by two years of columns named after the ticket that demanded them.