An Alternative Database Table Design

Social workers oftentimes experience a disconnect between the work they do and how that work is captured by agency databases. The database design described in this article attempts to remedy some of those issues–specifically, having to enter identical client information more than one time, not having a way to capture complex family relationships, and not having a way to capture evolving client relationships over time–while being mindful of ideal database design principles, particularly the concept of database normalization. This alternative design grew out of an ongoing research project and is discussed with in the context of one of the involved agencies.