title: Database design: Multiple tables per user
body: <p>I'm attempting to build a database that stores messages for multiple users. Each user will be able to send/receive 5 different message "types" (strictly a label, actual data types will be the same). My initial thought was to create multiple tables for each user, representing the 5 different message types. I quickly learned this is not such a good idea. My next thought was to create 1 table per message type with a users column, but I'm not sure that's the best method either from a performance perspective. What happens if user 1 sends 100 message type 1's, while user 3 only sends 10? The remaining fields would be null values, and I'm really not sure if that makes a difference or not. Thoughts? Suggestions and/or suggested reading? Thank you in advance!</p>