We learned the various design reviews during the application

We learned the various design reviews during the application life cycle. What is the role of DBA in each review stage? Who, other than DBA, should be involved at each stage and why? Do you think some of the design reviews may need to be reviewed again as a result of application development? Why or why not?

Solution

Design reviews are an important factor of the system development lifecycle for database applications. It is during the design review that all aspects of the database and application code are reviewed for efficiency, effectiveness, and accuracy. It is imperative that all database applications, regardless of their size, are reviewed to assure that the application was design properly, efficient coding techniques were used, and the database is accessed and modified correctly and efficiently. The design review is an important process for checking the validity of design decisions and correcting errors before applications and databases are promoted to production status.

Multiple design reviews should be conducted throughout the application’s life. There are seven basic design review phases for a database application:

There are many aspects of the development process and its resulting application that are addressed by design reviews. Some of the areas that can be addressed by a design review include:

The DBA usually must act as the center point for organizing and conducting design reviews. If the DBA does not organize design reviews it is unlikely that any design review will be conducted. And if design reviews are not conducted, the application is more apt to suffer performance and availability problems in a production environment. A group consisting of subject matter experts and the developer’s peers and co-workers should conduct each design review.

Formal design review roles should include the leader, the scribe, the mediator, and the participants. The leader can change from one design review to the next, but within the scope of a single design review a single leader must be assigned. The primary role of the leader is to act as a master of ceremonies to keep the review process moving along. Other duties include creating an agenda and ensuring that the agenda is followed, engaging all participants of the design review to solicit everyone’s input, ensuring that all participants maintain proper decorum, working with the proper participants before the meeting to ensure that all required documentation will be made available for the design review, and any other tasks necessary to ensure a successful design review. Though it is not mandatory, the DBA typically acts as the leader of design reviews for applications using a database.

Thank you.