Five Steps to an Awesome Data Model

The DataStax whitepaper "Data Modeling in Apache Cassandra™" provides a guide on choosing the right data model for your Apache Cassandra application in five easy steps. It recommends starting with the application workflow, also known as "query-first design," to determine what types of queries the database will need to support. Developers should iterate between the application workflow and entity relationship diagram (ERD) to identify data items and relationships required by the application. Once a clear understanding of the application workflow and key data objects is achieved, developers can start identifying the necessary queries for the application.