Database design and class design

[Gamini Sirisena]

Not sure where to post this...

What are your experiences with database design and class design?

Do you design the database first and then go on to class design?

Or class design first and then the database?

Or do you do a interwound incremental process?



What would you consider a best approach?

[Paul Sturrock]

Database first. Always. The data model can outlast the client program by decades; your data integrity is key, if it is well designed it protects against corruption through accident or incompetence. Relational databases are also designed to work well with properly normalized data.