MongoDB — Schema Design

Design Principles

Principle	Description
Embed related data	Keep together
Duplicate for reads	Optimize queries
Avoid deep nesting	Keep flat
Use references	For large data

Embedding

// Good: Small, related data
{
  name: "John",
  address: {
    street: "123 Main St",
    city: "New York"
  }
}

Referencing

// Good: Large or shared data
{
  name: "John",
  orderId: ObjectId("...")
}

Patterns

Attribute Pattern

{
  name: "Phone",
  attributes: {
    color: "black",
    storage: 128,
    weight: 150
  }
}

Bucket Pattern

{
  userId: ObjectId("..."),
  measurements: [
    { date: new Date(), value: 100 },
    { date: new Date(), value: 102 }
  ]
}

Mini Practice

1. Design embedded schema
2. Design referenced schema
3. Use attribute pattern
4. Use bucket pattern

Up Next

Continue with Relationships — document relationships.