Would this PostgresQL model work for long-term use and security? - postgresql

Question

I'm making a real-time chat app and was stuck figuring out how the DB model should look like. I've made this diagram, but would this work? My issue is more to do with foreign keys.
I know this is a very vague question. But have been struggling with this model for a while now. This is the first database I'm setting up so it's probably got a load of errors.

Answer 1

Actually you are fairly close, but over complicated it a bit. At the conceptual/logical model you have just 2 entities. Users and Messages
with a many-to-many relationship. At the physical level the Channels table resolves the M:M into the 2 one_to_many you have described. But the
viewing this way ravels a couple issues. The attribute user is not required in the Messages table and if physically implemented requires a not easily done validation
that the user there exists in the Channels table. Further everything that Message:User relationship provides is a available
via Users:Channels:Messages relationship. A similar argument applies to Channels column in Users - completely resolved by the resolution table. Suggestion: drop user from message table and channels from users.
Now lets look at the columns of Channels. It looks like you using a boiler plate for created_at and updated_at, but are they necessary?
Well at least for updated_at No. What can be updated? If either User or Message is updated you have a brand new entry. Yes it may seem like the same physical row (actually it is not)
but the meaning is completely different. Well how about last massage? What is it trying to indicate that the max value created at for the user does not give you?
I cannot see anything. I guess you could change the created at but what is the point of tracking when I changed that column. Suggestion: drop last message sent and updated at (unless required by Institution standards) from message table.
That leaves the Users table itself. Besides Channels mentioned above there is the Contacts column. Physically as a array it violates 1NF and becomes difficult to manage - (as wall as validating that the contact is in fact a user)
Logically it is creating a M:M on USER:USER. So resolve it the same way as User:Messages, pull it out into another table, say User_Contacts with 2 attributes to the Users table. Suggestion drop contacts for the users table and create a resolution table.
Unfortunately, I do not have a good ERD diagrammer, so I just provide DDL.
create table users (
user_id integer generated always as identity primary key
, name text
, phone_number text
, last_login timestamptz
, created_at timestamptz
, updated_at timestamptz
) ;
create type message_type as enum ('short', 'long'); -- list all values
create table messages(
msg_id integer generated always as identity primary key
, msg_type message_type
, message text
, created_at timestamptz
, updated_at timestamptz
);
create table channels( -- resolves M:M Users:Messages
user_id integer
, msg_id integer
, created_at timestamptz
, constraint channels_pk
primary key (user_id, msg_id)
, constraint channels_2_users_fk
foreign key (user_id)
references users(user_id)
, constraint channels_2_messages_fk
foreign key (msg_id)
references messages(msg_id )
);
create table user_contacts( -- resolves M:M Users:Users
user_id integer
, contact_id integer
, created_at timestamptz
, constraint user_contacts_pk
primary key (user_id, contact_id)
, constraint user_2_users_fk
foreign key (user_id)
references users(user_id)
, constraint contact_2_user_fk
foreign key (user_id)
references users(user_id)
, constraint contact_not_me_check check (user_id <> contact_id)
);
Notes:
Do not use text as PK, use either integer (bigint) or UUID, and generate them during insert.
Caution on ENUM. In Postgres you can add new values, but you cannot remove a value. Depending upon number of values and how often the change consider creating a lookup/reference table for them.
Do not use the data type TIME. It is really not that useful without the date. Simple example I login today at 15:00, you login tomorrow at 13:00. Now, from the database itself, which of us logged in first.