Difference between Data Model and Database Schema in DBMS?

A schema is a blueprint of the database which specifies what fields will be present and what would be their types. For example an employee table will have an employee_ID column represented by a string of 10 digits and an employee_Name column with a string of 45 characters.

Data model is a high level design which decides what can be present in the schema. It provides a database user with a conceptual framework in which we specify the database requirements of the database user and the structure of the database to fulfill these requirements.

A data model can, for example, be a relational model where the data will be organised in tables whereas the schema for this model would be the set of attributes and their corresponding domains.

References: Understanding the schema and Database System Concepts (H Korth and A Silberschatz)

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