ring:designing-data-model

Included with Lifetime

$97 forever

Designing the data model (entities, fields, relationships, per-service ownership) from the Gate 4 API design and TRD, before database selection; no SQL, ORM, or migration syntax. Gate 5 of ring:planning-large-features; runs after ring:designing-api-contracts, before ring:pinning-dependency-versions. Use when the system stores persistent data. Skip for Small Track, no persistent data, or an unvalidated API design.

Design

What this skill does


# Data Modeling — Defining Data Structures

## When to use

- API Design passed Gate 4 validation
- System stores persistent data
- Multiple entities with relationships
- Large Track workflow (2+ day features)

## Skip when

- Small Track workflow → skip to Task Breakdown
- No persistent data → skip to Dependency Map
- API Design not validated → complete Gate 4 first

## Sequence

**Runs before:** ring:pinning-dependency-versions
**Runs after:** ring:designing-api-contracts


Defines WHAT data exists, HOW entities relate, and WHO owns what data — before database technology selection.

## Phase 0: Database Field Naming Strategy (MANDATORY)

### Step 1: Check for Gate 4 API standards
If `docs/pre-dev/{feature}/api-standards-ref.md` exists, auto-detect naming convention.

### Step 2: Ask user

**If api-standards-ref.md EXISTS:**
AskUserQuestion: "How should database fields be named?"
- "Convert to snake_case (Recommended)" — API: userId → DB: user_id
- "Keep same as API (camelCase)" — API: userId → DB: userId
- "Different standards — provide DB dictionary"
- "Define manually"

**If api-standards-ref.md DOES NOT EXIST:**
AskUserQuestion: "How should database fields be named?"
- "Use snake_case (Recommended)" — standard for PostgreSQL/MySQL
- "Use camelCase" — standard for MongoDB/document DBs
- "Load from standards document"
- "Define manually"

### Step 3: Generate `db-standards-ref.md`

**Option: Convert to snake_case** — apply automatic rules:
- userId → user_id, createdAt → created_at, isActive → is_active, phoneNumber → phone_number, userID → user_id

**Option: Keep same** — copy field names without modification.

**Option: Load from doc** — WebFetch or read, extract field definitions, save to `db-standards-ref.md`.

## Mandatory Workflow

| Phase | Activities |
|-------|------------|
| **1. Entity Identification** | From API Design (Gate 4) and TRD (Gate 3): identify all entities; determine aggregate boundaries; map ownership per service |
| **2. Schema Definition** | Per entity: define fields with types, constraints, indexes; apply naming strategy from Phase 0 |
| **3. Relationship Mapping** | Define relationships (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many); document foreign keys; specify cascade behavior |
| **4. Gate 5 Validation** | All entities documented; relationships complete; ownership clear; field naming consistent; no tech-specific syntax |

## Entity Template

```markdown
### Entity: {EntityName}

**Ownership:** {service-name}
**Primary persistence:** Relational | Document | Key-value | Time-series

| Field | Type | Required | Constraints | Notes |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|-------|
| id | uuid | Yes | PK, unique | Auto-generated |
| name | string | Yes | max 255 chars | |
| status | enum | Yes | ACTIVE, INACTIVE, BLOCKED | |
| created_at | timestamp | Yes | UTC | |
| updated_at | timestamp | Yes | UTC | |

**Indexes:** [field combinations worth indexing for query patterns]

**Relationships:**
- has-many: {RelatedEntity} via {foreign_key}
- belongs-to: {ParentEntity} via {foreign_key}
```

## Data Rules

### Include
- Entity names and descriptions
- Field names (following naming strategy), types, constraints
- Relationships and cardinality
- Data ownership per entity
- Lifecycle states (ACTIVE, INACTIVE, etc.)
- Data retention rules

### Never Include
- Database-specific syntax (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
- SQL DDL statements (`CREATE TABLE`)
- ORM annotations (`@Column`, `json:"field"`)
- Migration scripts
- Query patterns (belong in tasks)

## Topology-Aware Output

| Structure | Files Generated |
|-----------|-----------------|
| single-repo | `docs/pre-dev/{feature}/data-model.md` |
| monorepo | Root `docs/pre-dev/{feature}/data-model.md` |
| multi-repo | Both repos: `{backend.path}/docs/pre-dev/{feature}/data-model.md` + frontend copy |

## Gate 5 Validation Checklist

| Category | Requirements |
|----------|--------------|
| **Entity Completeness** | All API Design entities have data models; ownership clear; lifecycle states documented |
| **Schema Quality** | All required fields defined; types precise; constraints documented; naming consistent with db-standards-ref.md |
| **Relationships** | All entity relationships documented; cardinality correct; cascade rules specified |
| **No Implementation** | Zero SQL syntax; zero ORM annotations; zero database-specific types; zero migration scripts |

**Gate Result:** ✅ PASS → Dependency Map | ⚠️ CONDITIONAL (fix naming/missing entities) | ❌ FAIL (incomplete schema)

Files: 1

Size: 4.9 KB

Complexity: 11/100

Category: Design

Source: https://github.com/lerianstudio/ring/tree/main/pm-team/skills/designing-data-model

Related in Design

contribute

Included

Local-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".

Designscripts

architectural-analysis

Included

User-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).

Designscripts

mcp

Included

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.

Designscripts

react-native-skia

Included

Design, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.

Designscripts

plaid

Included

Product Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".

Designscripts

nextjs-framer-motion-animations

Included

Adds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.

Designscripts