Data Model

Minyu is built around a configurable relational data model that reflects how organizations naturally think about information: entities, attributes, and relationships. Tables, columns, and relations are used deliberately, not as technical artifacts, but as a shared language for describing real-world structure in a precise and durable way.

What makes this model different is not the database concepts themselves, but the way the system treats them as authoritative. The data model is not merely where data is stored; it is where behavior is defined. A declarative metadata layer sits alongside the structure and determines how information is presented, validated, linked, searched, and exposed through APIs—without duplicating logic or scattering rules across the system.

From a single model definition, Minyu automatically derives user interfaces, navigation, validation flows, APIs, and integration surfaces. The same structure that defines how a row relates to other rows also determines how it appears in forms, how it can be edited, how it is labeled, and how it can be referenced elsewhere. There is no separate UI model, API schema, or integration mapping to keep aligned.

Relations are treated as first-class concepts. Each relation explicitly defines cardinality and ownership, and linking rules control whether related data may be shared, reused, or must be unique. This prevents subtle data coupling, makes side effects visible, and ensures that editing behavior remains predictable as the system grows. Sharing data is always intentional; uniqueness is enforced where required.

Because behavior is derived from structure, the model can evolve without destabilizing the system. New fields, refined relations, or structural adjustments take effect immediately and consistently across interfaces, rules, search, charts, and integrations. Nothing needs to be reimplemented or reconciled manually.

Over time, this approach produces systems that remain understandable and maintainable. The data model does not drift away from how the organization actually works—it becomes a living representation of it. In Minyu, structure is not an internal detail hidden behind screens; it is the backbone that keeps information, logic, and interaction aligned as the system grows.