UI//Schema-Driven UI//Configurable Data Model

The product pattern where the data model itself is user-configurable -- the schema is the product. Airtable, Notion databases, headless CRMs, and any platform where users define their own entity types, fields, and relationships.

The product pattern where the data model itself is user-configurable -- the schema is the product. Airtable, Notion databases, headless CRMs, and any platform where users define their own entity types, fields, and relationships.

Sits between "fixed schema with customization options" (HubSpot custom properties) and "write your own code" (bespoke CRM)

The user builds the schema through UI (drag fields, set types, define relations) rather than writing SQL or code

Storage typically uses EAV, JSONB columns, or a hybrid -- the flexibility cost is paid at the database layer

The hard part isn't storing flexible data -- it's querying, indexing, and validating it efficiently

Airtable solved it with per-base SQLite. Notion solved it with a single enormous Postgres table. Neither is elegant.