Database Schema

Just as the database schema itself is largely a direct translation of the conceptual data model, the documentation of the schema generally looks like the documentation of the data model.

The information in the database schema is critical to the development team, but since it contains little additional information, it's largely irrelevant to the client. If you're not preparing separate documents, consider putting the table and query specifications in an appendix. The data architecture and security specifications, however, need to be confirmed by the client.

I usually document the data architecture using a combination of diagrams and a narrative description. This is another case of the two forms of communication reinforcing each other. The security requirements can be documented by a simple narrative description, but sometimes an outline or graphic can be useful if the security structure is complex.