Database View
A virtual table defined by a SQL query. Simplifies complex joins, enforces access control, and presents data in a specific shape without duplicating storage.
What is Database View?
A virtual table defined by a SQL query. Simplifies complex joins, enforces access control, and presents data in a specific shape without duplicating storage.
Database View is a foundational concept that sits in the Database Fundamentals area of system design. Engineers reach for it whenever they need to reason about real-world trade-offs in that space — not just for textbook correctness, but because real production systems at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google make these decisions every day.
If you want to go deeper than this definition — with diagrams, code, and a quiz to lock it in — work through the "Database View" lesson linked below. It walks through the why, the mechanism, the trade-offs, and how the giants actually use it in production.
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See also
Related glossary terms you might want to look up next.
SQL
Structured Query Language for managing relational databases. Tables, rows, columns, and powerful joins to query related data.
Normalization
Organizing database tables to reduce redundancy by splitting data into related tables connected by foreign keys. Follows normal forms (1NF, 2NF, 3NF).
Materialized View
A precomputed query result stored as a physical table and refreshed periodically. Trades storage for read performance on expensive aggregations.