Persontabell

Persontabell, or person table, is a common term in relational database design for a table that stores information about individuals. Each row represents a single person, identified by a primary key such as person_id. A persontabell may also include a natural key, for example a national identifier, but often uses the surrogate key to simplify changes over time.

Typical fields in a persontabell include core identity attributes such as first_name, last_name, date_of_birth, gender, and nationality. Contact details like email and phone number may be stored directly in the table or in separate related tables to support normalization. Addresses are frequently kept in a related addresses table, allowing a person to have multiple addresses without duplicating data.

The persontabell is usually linked to other tables through foreign keys to model relationships, roles, or events. Examples include customers, employees, or family relations. Normalization aims to minimize data redundancy, while denormalization may be used for performance in certain read-heavy scenarios.

Data quality and integrity are central considerations. Consistent data types, validation rules, and standardized formats for names and dates help maintain accuracy. Indexing the primary key and commonly queried fields such as last_name or date_of_birth can improve query performance. Privacy and security are essential when handling personal data, guiding access controls, encryption, and compliance with applicable regulations.

In data warehousing and analytics, a persontabell can serve as a dimension table in a star schema, providing attributes that describe individuals involved in transactions or events. Variations exist across implementations, including storing multiple contact methods in separate tables or using natural keys versus surrogate keys, depending on system requirements and governance policies.