3.4 Database design

There are two parts to planning a human rights database. First the database must be able to represent all the information in the processed data. Secondly the database must be able to produce the reports the organization will require. In this sense, organization leadership can monitor database design as if it were a black box: information goes in, reports come out. The next subsection (3.4.1) includes a very brief introduction to database jargon. It can be skipped without losing the flow of the material. Readers who wish to avoid this part should go straight to 3.4.2.