StructuredFor DevelopersSystem Design & Architecture

Database Selection Guide.

When choosing a database for a new project or evaluating whether the current database can support planned growth.

ChatGPT Β· Claude Β· GeminiΒ·IntermediateΒ·~900 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 Β· v3
database-selection-guide-4.md Β· 900 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help a developer or tech professional complete a {{use_case}} task.

# Context
- Pack: Developers & Tech Professionals
- Category: System Design & Architecture
- Use case: Database Selection Guide
- Source task:
  - I am building {{describe_the_system}}. My data characteristics: {{structured_semi_structured_unstructured}}, {{read_heavy_write_heavy_balanced}}, {{relational_hierarchical_graph_like}}, estimated size {{data_volume}}. Recommend:
  - 1. the best database type and specific product with justification
  - 2. schema design or document structure
  - 3. indexing strategy
  - 4. how to handle {{specific_query_pattern}}
  - 5. what the next database bottleneck will be at 10x scale and how to address it

# Goal
Database recommendation with justification, schema/structure design, indexing strategy, and a 10x scale bottleneck analysis.

# Constraints
- Produce a complete, usable first draft in one response.
- Avoid generic filler, vague advice, and unsupported claims.
- Make the output specific, practical, and ready to use.

# Output
Database recommendation with justification, schema/structure design, indexing strategy, and a 10x scale bottleneck analysis.

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{role}}Roledatabase architect
{{use_case}}Your specific valuedatabase selection guide
{{describe_the_system}}Describe the systema multi-tenant SaaS analytics dashboard
{{structured_semi_structured_unstructured}}Structured semi structured unstructuredSTRUCTURED
{{read_heavy_write_heavy_balanced}}Read heavy write heavy balancedREAD-HEAVY
{{relational_hierarchical_graph_like}}Relational hierarchical graph likeRELATIONAL
{{data_volume}}Data volume5 million rows per day
{{specific_query_pattern}}Specific query patternSPECIFIC QUERY PATTERN

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone β€” formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

When choosing a database for a new project or evaluating whether the current database can support planned growth.

PRO TIP

'Just use Postgres' is often the right answer for early-stage systems β€” complexity of specialised databases should be justified by a specific, proven bottleneck.

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