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A Database is just a collection of linked spreadsheets that your app uses to remember things. Let's break it down in plain English. Use our Database Planner to map out your tables visually.
Don't worry — you won't write any database code by hand. Your AI tool handles all the technical parts. This guide helps you understand the concepts so you can describe what you want.
Imagine a Google Sheets file with multiple tabs. Each tab holds different information — one for users, one for blog posts, one for comments. A database works the same way, except it's built to handle thousands (or millions) of entries without slowing down.
📊
The whole file
= Your Database
📋
Each tab / spreadsheet
= A Table
📝
Each row in a tab
= One entry (a user, a post, etc.)
A spreadsheet that holds one type of thing. You might have a Users spreadsheet, a Posts spreadsheet, and a Comments spreadsheet.
Think: one Google Sheet tab = one table
A single line in your spreadsheet. If you have a Users table, each row is one person. If you have a Posts table, each row is one blog post.
Row 1: Alex, alex@email.com, joined Jan 5
The headers at the top of your spreadsheet. They define what information you collect for each entry.
Name, Email, Date Joined, Profile Photo
Every entry gets a number so you can find it — like a student ID. No two entries share the same number, which makes it easy to look up any specific one.
User #1, User #2, User #3...
A column that points to an entry in a different spreadsheet. Like a "written by" column in your Posts spreadsheet that points to the Users spreadsheet.
Post "My Trip" → written by User #3 (Alex)
The plan for your whole database — what spreadsheets exist and what columns each one has. You tell your AI tool the blueprint, and it creates everything for you.
"I need Users, Posts, and Comments spreadsheets"
The magic of databases is that spreadsheets can reference each other. Here are the three ways they connect.
One entry connects to exactly one entry in another spreadsheet.
One user has one profile. One profile belongs to one user.
Real-world analogy: Your driver's license links to exactly one person.
Tell your AI:
"Set up a database where each user has one profile with bio, avatar, and social links."
One entry connects to many entries in another spreadsheet. This is the most common type.
One author writes many blog posts. Each blog post has one author.
Real-world analogy: One teacher has many students in their class.
Tell your AI:
"Set up a database where users can write many blog posts. Each post belongs to one user."
Entries on both sides can connect to many entries on the other side. Needs a helper spreadsheet in between.
A blog post can have many tags. A tag can be on many posts.
Real-world analogy: Students take many classes. Each class has many students.
Tell your AI:
"Set up a database for blog posts and tags where each post can have multiple tags and each tag can be on multiple posts."
When you tell your AI to create a database, it needs to know what kind of information goes in each column. Here are the everyday types.
Names, emails, descriptions, blog post content — anything made of words.
"Alex Johnson", "hello@email.com", a full blog post
Quantities, ages, prices, ratings — anything you'd do math with.
42, 3.5 stars, 150 items in stock
Anything that's either true or false. Is this user an admin? Is this post published?
Published: Yes, Admin: No
When something happened or will happen. Signup dates, appointment times, deadlines.
Joined: March 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Prices, totals, balances — stored with exact decimal precision so you never lose a penny.
$29.99, $1,250.00
Web addresses, image URLs, file links — stored as text but used as references.
https://example.com/photo.jpg
When there are only a few valid options. Think dropdown menus — status, role, category.
Status: active, paused, or cancelled
Automatically assigned numbers or codes that identify each entry. You rarely set these yourself.
User #1, User #2, User #3...
Here's what the spreadsheet setup looks like for common apps. You can tell your AI tool to create any of these.
Needs spreadsheets for Users, Posts, Comments, and Tags.
Users
Who writes and comments — their name, email, profile photo, and when they joined
Posts
Each blog post — title, the content, who wrote it, and when it was published
Comments
Reader feedback — the comment text, who wrote it, which post it's on, and when
Tags
Categories like "Travel" or "Food" that can be attached to posts
Needs spreadsheets for Users, Products, Orders, Order Items, and Reviews.
Users
Shoppers — their name, email, and shipping address
Products
What you sell — name, description, price, photo, and how many are in stock
Orders
Each purchase — who bought it, the total cost, order status, and date
Order Items
The specific products in each order — which product, how many, and the price paid
Reviews
Customer feedback — star rating, review text, who wrote it, and which product
Needs spreadsheets for Organizations, Users, Projects, and Tasks.
Organizations
The company or team — name, plan level, and when they signed up
Users
Team members — name, email, which organization they belong to, and their role
Projects
Each project — name, which organization it belongs to, and who created it
Tasks
Things to do — title, status (to-do, doing, done), which project, and who it's assigned to
Needs spreadsheets for Users, Posts, Likes, Follows, and Comments.
Users
People on the platform — username, display name, bio, and profile photo
Posts
What people share — the text or image, who posted it, and when
Likes
Who liked what — links a user to a post they liked
Follows
Who follows whom — links one user to another user they follow
Comments
Replies to posts — the comment text, who wrote it, and which post it's on
Copy and paste these into Claude Code, Cursor, Bolt, or whatever AI tool you use. Replace the words in [brackets] with your own details.
Start a new database
"Set up a database for a [blog / online store / booking app] with tables for [users, posts, comments] and connect them with the right relationships."
Add a new spreadsheet (table)
"Add a new table called [Reviews] to my database. Each review should store the text, a star rating (1-5), which user wrote it, and which product it's for."
Connect two spreadsheets
"Connect my [Posts] table to my [Users] table so that each post belongs to one user, and one user can have many posts."
Set up a complete app database
"I'm building a [recipe sharing app]. Design the complete database with all the tables I'll need, explain what each table stores, and set up the connections between them."
Explain what you built
"Explain the database you just created in simple terms. What tables are there, what does each one store, and how are they connected?"
These are services that host your database in the cloud. You don't need to install anything — just sign up and your AI tool can connect to them. Most also include authentication so users can log in.
The most popular choice for AI coders. Gives you a database, user login, file storage, and more — all in one place.
RecommendedA modern database that's great for apps built with Next.js. Starts free and grows with you.
ModernA powerful database that can handle huge amounts of data. Good if you expect lots of users.
ScalableGoogle's app platform. Easy to start with, especially for mobile apps and real-time features.
GoogleYour app needs a "bridge" to talk to the database. These tools act as translators — your AI writes app code on one side, and the tool converts it into database instructions on the other. You don't need to understand how they work; just tell your AI which one to use. Learn more about how this fits together in our backend guide.
The most popular bridge for JavaScript/TypeScript apps. Your AI tool probably knows it best.
RecommendedA newer, lightweight bridge. Growing fast and loved by developers.
Rising StarIf you're using Supabase, this is built-in. No extra setup needed.
EasiestIf your AI is building with Python and Django, this bridge comes included.
PythonCopy-paste these prompts into your AI tool to apply what you just learned.
DESIGN A DATABASE SCHEMA
"Design a database schema for my [type of app]. I need to store [data types]. Show me the tables, columns, and relationships between them."
CREATE SUPABASE TABLES
"Create Supabase tables for my project: [describe your app]. Include proper data types, foreign keys, and row-level security so users can only access their own data."
ADD A NEW TABLE
"Add a new [reviews/orders/bookings] table to my existing database. Connect it to my [users/products] table and explain the relationship."
