logical data model vs. physical data model diff

 

Key differences: logical data model vs. physical data model

A logical data model is a data model that provides a detailed, structured description of data elements and the connections between them. It includes all entities — a specific object transferred from the real world (relevant to business) — and the relationships among them. These entities have defined their attributes as their characteristics.

What Is a Physical Data Model?

A physical data model specifies how the data model will be built in the database. It outlines all table structures, including column name, data types, column constraints, primary key and foreign key with indexes to the relevant table column, relationships between tables, stored procedures, and views.

	Logical data model	Physical data model
Platform-dependent database	No.	Yes.
Data structure	Entities, attributes, PKs, and FKs.	Database tables, rows, PKs, FKs, and data types.
Programmatical features	No.	Triggers and stored procedures.
Objective	Visualize business logic with data structures.	Organize data structure for database design.
Creators	Business analysts and data architects.	Software developers, programmers, and database administrators.
Complexity	Simple.	Complex.
When to use	To understand enterprise systems and business rules.	To plan, implement, and optimize data storage when you’re developing applications.