What is data modeling?

Answer

Data modeling is the practice of defining how data is structured, related, and stored to meet an application's or analytics needs. It usually progresses from a conceptual model (high-level entities and relationships), to a logical model (attributes, keys, and normalization rules), to a physical model (concrete tables, types, and indexes for a specific database). In analytics, dimensional modeling with star and snowflake schemas organizes data into fact and dimension tables for fast querying. Good modeling balances integrity, performance, and clarity, and shapes how easily the system can evolve.