Dating and Databases
A Match Made in Tech Heaven
If you're an aspiring product manager (PM) looking to break into the tech industry, you've undoubtedly heard about databases and schema. But what exactly are they, and why are they so important?
Think of a database as a giant filing cabinet, with each drawer representing a different category of information. Inside each drawer, you'll find files containing specific pieces of data. For example, one drawer might contain files about customers, while another might contain files about products.
Now, let's talk about schema. The schema is like the blueprint for the filing cabinet. It outlines the structure of the database and how the information is organized within it. In other words, the schema tells us what types of data we're storing and how they're related to one another.
But enough with the technical jargon. Let's talk about dating.
Imagine you're creating a dating app. You'll need to store information about users, such as their name, age, gender, and location. This information would be stored in a database, with each user having their own file.
But what about the relationship between users? For example, you might want to allow users to match with one another based on their shared interests. In this case, you would need to create a schema that outlines the relationship between users and interests.
Let's say you have a user named John who is interested in hiking and a user named Sarah who is interested in skiing. Your schema would include a table for users, a table for interests, and a table that links the two together. John's user file would be linked to the hiking interest, and Sarah's user file would be linked to the skiing interest
Now, when John and Sarah are browsing potential matches, they'll be matched based on their shared interests. And all of this is possible thanks to the magic of databases and schema.
Of course, databases and schema are much more complex than this simple example. But hopefully, this dating analogy has made the concepts a little more approachable.
As a PM, it's important to have a basic understanding of databases and schema, even if you're not directly involved in building them. Understanding how data is stored and organized can help you make informed decisions about product features and prioritize what needs to be built next.
So the next time you're swiping through potential matches on a dating app, take a moment to appreciate the behind-the-scenes magic of databases and schema. After all, they're the ones making all those matches possible!