Schema Examples

Overview of Examples¶

This section presents a variety of schema examples that demonstrate different aspects of DataJoint design principles. Each example showcases specific patterns, relationships, and use cases ranging from classic database tutorials to real-world scientific applications.

Classic Database Examples¶

These examples are adapted from well-known database tutorials to show how traditional relational designs map to DataJoint’s entity-workflow model.

Classic Sales Database¶

The classic MySQL tutorial sales database featuring customers, orders, products, and employees. This example demonstrates:

• Traditional business database design

• Many-to-many relationships through order details

• Employee management hierarchies

• Product lines and order fulfillment

University Database¶

A university course enrollment system with students, courses, instructors, and enrollments. This example illustrates:

• Academic record keeping

• Course registration workflows

• Student-course many-to-many relationships

• Grade tracking and prerequisites

Nations Database¶

A geographical database with countries, regions, and continents from the MariaDB tutorial. This example shows:

• Hierarchical geographical relationships

• Lookup tables for standardized data

• Regional groupings and classifications

Conceptual Examples¶

These examples focus on specific design patterns and conceptual challenges in database modeling.

Hotel Reservation System¶

A complete hotel management system with rooms, reservations, check-ins, and check-outs. This design exercise demonstrates:

• Time-series data (room availability and pricing)

• Business rule enforcement (no double-booking, check-in requires reservation)

• Guest management and payment processing

• Temporal queries (who stayed when, room history)

Social Generations¶

Defines social generations as birth cohorts sharing cultural and historical experiences. This example explores:

• Lookup tables for reference data

• Birth year ranges and generational characteristics

• Cultural archetypes and life principles

• Using DataJoint to model sociological concepts

Languages and Proficiency¶

A many-to-many relationship design tracking people and their language skills using international standards. This comprehensive example demonstrates:

• ISO 639-1 language codes: Standardized two-letter codes for major world languages

• CEFR proficiency levels: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (A1-C2)

• Association tables: Proficiency as a workflow step linking people, languages, and levels

• Lookup tables: Both Language and CEFRLevel with predefined, standardized content

• International standards: Using established frameworks ensures consistency and compatibility

• Sample queries: Finding multilingual individuals, proficient speakers, and language statistics

Organizational Examples¶

These examples model organizational structures and hierarchies.

Management Hierarchy¶

Demonstrates self-referencing tables and organizational relationships. This example shows:

• Employees managing other employees (recursive relationships)

• Department structure with chairs and budgets

• Organizational hierarchies and reporting chains

• One-to-one relationships (department chairs)

• Normalized department data (codes, names, budgets, locations)

Scientific Examples¶

Real-world scientific applications demonstrating DataJoint in research contexts.

Allen Common Coordinate Framework¶

The Allen Brain Atlas coordinate system for mouse brain anatomy. This example illustrates:

• 3D spatial coordinates and brain structure atlases

• Hierarchical anatomical relationships

• Integration with neuroimaging data

• Real scientific data pipeline from the DataJoint Elements project

• Published standards in neuroscience research

Julia Sets¶

Computational visualization of Julia sets from fractal mathematics. This example demonstrates:

• Computed tables for mathematical functions

• Parameter spaces and computational workflows

• Image generation and visualization

• Using DataJoint for reproducible computational art

• Automatic computation with populate()

Each example is self-contained with:

• Complete schema definitions

• Sample data population

• Example queries demonstrating key concepts

• Visual diagrams showing table relationships

• Code that you can run and modify

Browse through these examples to see different design patterns in action and learn how to apply DataJoint principles to your own domains.