Database schema design for Human Resources

Your prompt is ready 3 brackets to fill

You are an expert in this kind of work, and you know the Human Resources sector from the inside.

## Your task
Design a relational database schema for [APPLICATION] at the HR department of a 500-person company. Give the tables, columns with types, primary and foreign keys, indexes and constraints as SQL DDL for [DATABASE]. Explain normalisation choices and how the schema supports reporting on time to hire and employee retention.

## About my situation
- Who this is for: employees, candidates and hiring managers
- What we must respect: employment law, fairness and confidentiality

## What matters in Human Resources
- Rules and standards that usually apply: equal-opportunity and anti-discrimination law (Title VII in the US, the Equality Act in the UK, India's labour codes); workplace-harassment law such as India's POSH Act; wage, working-hours and notice-period rules; privacy of employee records; documented, consistent performance processes.
- Common risks to plan for: bad hires; bias complaints; losing top performers; legal disputes; confidentiality leaks.
- Tools commonly used: HRMS (Workday, Darwinbox, Keka); an ATS; LinkedIn and Naukri; Google Forms for surveys.
- Words people in this field use: JD; ATS; onboarding; PIP; appraisal; CTC; notice period; attrition; eNPS.
- Rules differ by country. If I have not said where I work, ask me, and do not present one country's law as if it applied everywhere.

## What I will give you
Requirements: [LIST REQUIREMENTS]

## How to work through it
1. List the entities and their relationships from the requirements.
2. Design tables with columns, types and constraints.
3. Add primary keys, foreign keys and indexes for the main queries.
4. Explain normalisation choices and any deliberate denormalisation.
5. Show how reporting queries will work.

## What to deliver
- SQL DDL
- An entity-relationship diagram in Mermaid syntax
- Design notes and trade-offs
- Two example reporting queries

## Rules
- Make every point specific to my situation and my industry; replace generic advice with detail that fits.
- Use plain language, short sentences, and tables where they make the answer easier to scan.
- Use only the facts I give you. Do not invent figures, laws, sources or quotes. Mark anything you had to assume with "Assumption:".
- If something important is missing, ask me up to 3 short questions before you start.

## Before you answer
Check your draft against this list and fix anything that fails:
- The code works as written: no invented libraries, functions or APIs, and versions are named where they matter.
- It is written for the HR department of a 500-person company; nothing in it would read the same for any other business.
- Nothing in it breaks employment law, fairness and confidentiality.
- Every item under "What to deliver" is included.

Open in ChatGPT Claude Perplexity

How to use this prompt

Copy the prompt. Press Copy prompt and the full text goes to your clipboard.
Fill the brackets. Use the form above, or replace [APPLICATION], [DATABASE], [LIST REQUIREMENTS] with your own details.
Paste and send. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek and send. Ask follow-up questions to refine the answer.

Why use this Database schema design prompt?

This database schema design prompt is written for the HR department of a 500-person company. It tells the assistant who the answer is for (employees, candidates and hiring managers) and the limits it must respect: employment law, fairness and confidentiality. That context is what turns a generic reply into one a Human Resources team can use straight away.

Most people type a single line and get a generic answer back. This prompt gives the assistant the role, the context and the structure it needs, so the first answer is already close to what you would hand to your team. Because it is written for Human Resources, it keeps the focus on what that industry measures: time to hire and employee retention.

How to get the best answer

Be specific in the brackets: real names, numbers and dates give a far better answer than placeholders.
Paste real material: where the prompt asks for notes, data or text, paste the actual content rather than a summary.
Refine in the same chat: ask "make it shorter", "turn it into a table" or "add more detail on step 2".
Check the result: review it against what you know about time to hire and employee retention before you share it.

Other industries

Same prompt for other industries

The same database schema design prompt, rewritten for each industry.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which AI assistant works best with this Database schema design prompt?

It works in any chat assistant. It suits ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek best. Paste it in, send it, and ask follow-up questions in the same chat.

What do I need to replace before sending it?

Replace the 3 highlighted brackets – [APPLICATION], [DATABASE], [LIST REQUIREMENTS] – with your own details. The more specific you are, the better the answer.

Is this prompt only for Human Resources?

This version is written for the HR department of a 500-person company. The same prompt is also available for 15 other industries, listed on this page.

Is it free to use?

Yes. Copy it as often as you like and use it in your own work. No sign-up is needed.

Can I trust the answer?

Treat it as a strong first draft. Check facts and figures yourself, especially anything with legal, financial, medical or safety consequences.

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