# Common Sense Design

Design tables from the questions the data must answer. Learn from Northwind's design - one subject per table, columns at their smallest useful size, a primary key in every table, and foreign keys to link them.

![Cheat sheet: Common Sense Design](https://fsdtrainingmedia.blob.core.windows.net/public/images/2026/11/ab3de062b7d0459cb863958b0cb4ec20.webp)

- Category: SQL
- Level: Journeyman
- Tags: database, Foreign Key, Granularity, Primary Key, sql
- Updated: November 3, 2026

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/cheat-sheets/foundations-of-database-design-common-sense-design-in-sql-server-cheat-sheet