Three elements that must be considered when designing a database:

1. logical schema,
2. user view,
3. and physical schema.

Following are the definitions of these three terms:

1. The logical schema of a database is its overall logical plan. The logical schema comprises a series of diagrams that define the content of database tables and describe how the tables are linked together for data access.
2. Simply stated, a user view determines which users have access to what data in a database.
3. The physical schema of a database determines how data is stored on computer hardware (for example, hard drives).