Database Design Methodology

Structuring a successful database.

Hamilton-2006/07

Objectives

Recognize the application of good database design to litigation databases

Recite the 5 basic steps for database design

Recommend a database design for a sample litigation case

Create a litigation document database using Concordance applying the design methodology

Saves Time

By reusing templates from other cases—Cutting down on database creation time —Cutting down on training time

By avoiding administration for:—Adding fields—Changing field names—Changing field attributes to accommodate data

Saves Money

Helps to create the case Coding Manual

Only code fields that are really needed rather than a “standard” field list

Helps with vendor management—What fields to code—What load file should look like—What should be converted via EDD and what the field mapping will be

Build fields to support database metrics—Document review timelines—Percent complete analysis for large cases

Basic Database Design Methodology

1. Draft Mission Statement and Objectives

2. Analyze the Overall Data Set

3. Determine Data Fields

4. Determine and Define Business Rules

5. Assure Data Integrity

Analyze The Overall Data Set

What is the universe of data that will be stored in this database?

What formats will the data be in?—Coded information?—OCR?—Electronic documents?—Links to native files?—Will there be links to any TIFF or other image files?

Draft Mission Statement And Objectives

What is the purpose of the database?

What will it be named?

How will it be used?—Production?—Research?—Storage?—Reference?—Interview Notes?

How will it be searched?

Are there or will there be associated databases?

Typical Case Data Set

Data Set

Hardcopy Docs converted to

Electronic Form

Electronic Docsextracted from

Source

Understand metadatafields in Electronic Source

Create mapping from data-set to database field

Determine how much of the hard copy collection

needs to be processed

Determine level of treatment for docs

Determine Data Fields

What fields are needed in the database?

What will those fields be named?

What is the structure of each of the fields?

What are the characteristics of each field?

Will there be an image database?

Typical Coded Database Fields

Document Number— Beginning number

— Ending Number

Attachment Range— First page of first doc

— Last page of last doc

Document Date

Document Type

Document Title

Names— Author, Addressee, Copy

Personal name Organization

— Mentioned Names or Names in Text

Document Characteristics

Document Source

Date Loaded

Other Frequently Used Data Fields

Attorney Notes

Production?— Produce

— Non-responsive

Privilege?— Privileged

— Potentially privileged

— Privilege type

Production Number

Date produced

Mark for deposition

Mark for expert review

Send to CaseMap

Chronology

Attorney Reviewer

Protective Order

Case Example

Your firm is involved in an antitrust litigation that potentially has over 500 boxes of hard copy documents from 4 distinct sources

You know these documents to be mostly correspondence and business documents (10-K; 10-Q, meeting minutes, presentations, reports, etc)

Several business owners are related and share the same last name, and in some cases, same first initial

These documents will be produced and a lot of them are likely to be privileged and confidential

The attorney team wants a database so that they can assign multiple reviewers to the documents

You know the documents, as they are processed, will be delivered electronically on a rolling basis and that searches are going to be done against an “incomplete” database

Document ID Number

Attachment Range

Document Date

Document Type

Document Title

Names

Document Characteristics

Document Source

Date Loaded