Agile development of the database: a focal entity prototyping approach

The agile development of the database and the application system is a highly productive and successful activity when undertaken in a coherent and organized manner. Agility does not preclude structure and order in development. The more serial thinking that the entire database schema must be developed once and for all, and before any processing development can take place, is seen to be incorrect and unnecessary. The evolution of the database, like other aspects of evolutionary and agile development of software systems, contributes significantly to schema quality, correctness and adaptability. Research and experience in both commercial development and in an academic project environment over 20 years has demonstrated the reasonableness and efficacy of this approach, and this paper elaborates upon a well ordered and well-organized, but clearly agile approach, to database development, which the author has termed "focal entity prototyping".