Project Introduction: A Custom Module for Testimonials, DB Schema With db_schema.xml

~9 Min. Lesezeit Zuletzt aktualisiert am August 9, 2026

From here on, a single project runs through the rest of this series: managing testimonials in the admin area, as a standalone module Mironsoft\Testimonial. Each of the following 17 chapters extends this exact module - no more switching examples.

Functional requirements

A testimonial consists of the customer's name and company, a rating (1 to 5 stars), the actual text, an optional photo, and an active status. In addition, a testimonial should be selectively shown or hidden per store view (block 4, chapter 18) - a pattern known from Magento_Cms (CMS blocks/pages) that we deliberately rebuild here.

Two tables instead of one

Store view assignment needs an n:m relationship: a testimonial can be visible on multiple stores, and a store can show multiple testimonials. A single store_id column isn't enough for that - it needs a second, linking table, exactly like cms_block_store in Magento core.

Starting state of the testimonial module (block 4)

app/code/Mironsoft/Testimonial/
├── registration.php
├── composer.json
├── etc/
│   ├── module.xml
│   ├── db_schema.xml
│   ├── acl.xml
│   └── adminhtml/
│       ├── routes.xml
│       └── menu.xml
└── Model/
    ├── Testimonial.php
    └── ResourceModel/
        ├── Testimonial.php
        └── Testimonial/
            └── Collection.php

app/code/Mironsoft/Testimonial/etc/db_schema.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<schema xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:Setup/Declaration/Schema/etc/schema.xsd">
    <table name="mironsoft_testimonial" resource="default" engine="innodb"
           comment="Mironsoft Testimonial Table">
        <column xsi:type="int" name="testimonial_id" padding="10" unsigned="true"
                nullable="false" identity="true" comment="Testimonial ID"/>
        <column xsi:type="varchar" name="customer_name" nullable="false" length="255"
                comment="Customer Name"/>
        <column xsi:type="varchar" name="company" nullable="true" length="255"
                comment="Company"/>
        <column xsi:type="smallint" name="rating" padding="5" unsigned="true"
                nullable="false" identity="false" default="5" comment="Rating 1-5"/>
        <column xsi:type="text" name="testimonial_text" nullable="false"
                comment="Testimonial Text"/>
        <column xsi:type="varchar" name="image" nullable="true" length="255"
                comment="Image Path"/>
        <column xsi:type="int" name="position" padding="10" unsigned="false"
                nullable="false" identity="false" default="0" comment="Sort Position"/>
        <column xsi:type="smallint" name="is_active" padding="5" unsigned="true"
                nullable="false" identity="false" default="1" comment="Is Active"/>
        <column xsi:type="timestamp" name="created_at" on_update="false" nullable="false"
                default="CURRENT_TIMESTAMP" comment="Created At"/>
        <column xsi:type="timestamp" name="updated_at" on_update="true" nullable="false"
                default="CURRENT_TIMESTAMP" comment="Updated At"/>
        <constraint xsi:type="primary" referenceId="PRIMARY">
            <column name="testimonial_id"/>
        </constraint>
    </table>

    <table name="mironsoft_testimonial_store" resource="default" engine="innodb"
           comment="Mironsoft Testimonial To Store Linkage Table">
        <column xsi:type="int" name="testimonial_id" padding="10" unsigned="true"
                nullable="false" identity="false" comment="Testimonial ID"/>
        <column xsi:type="smallint" name="store_id" padding="5" unsigned="true"
                nullable="false" identity="false" comment="Store ID"/>
        <constraint xsi:type="primary" referenceId="PRIMARY">
            <column name="testimonial_id"/>
            <column name="store_id"/>
        </constraint>
        <constraint xsi:type="foreign" referenceId="MIRONSOFT_TESTIMONIAL_STORE_TESTIMONIAL_ID_TESTIMONIAL_TESTIMONIAL_ID"
                    table="mironsoft_testimonial_store" column="testimonial_id"
                    referenceTable="mironsoft_testimonial" referenceColumn="testimonial_id"
                    onDelete="CASCADE"/>
        <constraint xsi:type="foreign" referenceId="MIRONSOFT_TESTIMONIAL_STORE_STORE_ID_STORE_STORE_ID"
                    table="mironsoft_testimonial_store" column="store_id"
                    referenceTable="store" referenceColumn="store_id" onDelete="CASCADE"/>
    </table>
</schema>

onDelete="CASCADE" on both foreign keys ensures that deleting a testimonial automatically removes its store assignments too - no orphaned rows, and the delete controller (chapter 17) doesn't have to handle that explicitly itself.

Model, ResourceModel, Collection

app/code/Mironsoft/Testimonial/Model/Testimonial.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model;

use Magento\Framework\Model\AbstractModel;
use Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model\ResourceModel\Testimonial as TestimonialResource;

/**
 * Testimonial entity model.
 */
class Testimonial extends AbstractModel
{
    /**
     * Initializes the resource model.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    protected function _construct(): void
    {
        $this->_init(TestimonialResource::class);
    }
}

app/code/Mironsoft/Testimonial/Model/ResourceModel/Testimonial.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model\ResourceModel;

use Magento\Framework\Model\ResourceModel\Db\AbstractDb;

/**
 * Testimonial resource model, maps the entity onto mironsoft_testimonial.
 * Store relations are added in chapter 18.
 */
class Testimonial extends AbstractDb
{
    /**
     * Initializes the main table and primary key column.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    protected function _construct(): void
    {
        $this->_init('mironsoft_testimonial', 'testimonial_id');
    }
}

app/code/Mironsoft/Testimonial/Model/ResourceModel/Testimonial/Collection.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model\ResourceModel\Testimonial;

use Magento\Framework\Model\ResourceModel\Db\Collection\AbstractCollection;
use Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model\ResourceModel\Testimonial as TestimonialResource;
use Mironsoft\Testimonial\Model\Testimonial as TestimonialModel;

/**
 * Collection of testimonial entities, used by grid DataProviders.
 */
class Collection extends AbstractCollection
{
    /**
     * Binds the collection to its model and resource model pair.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    protected function _construct(): void
    {
        $this->_init(TestimonialModel::class, TestimonialResource::class);
    }
}

These files follow the exact pattern from chapter 3 - ACL resource Mironsoft_Testimonial::testimonial, route mironsoft_testimonial, a menu item under Content. Chapter 25 later splits this ACL resource into three separate nodes (view, form, delete) - a single node is enough to get started here.

bin/magento setup:upgrade
bin/magento cache:clean

Tipp: After the first setup:upgrade, it's worth checking the database (bin/mysql) to confirm both tables, including foreign keys, were created as expected - SHOW CREATE TABLE mironsoft_testimonial_store; shows the actual generated constraint names.

With tables, model triad, and backend access in place, the foundation is ready. Chapter 15 builds the grid on top of it.

Vorheriges Kapitel Form Modifiers (Data/Meta Modifiers) for Dynamic Behavior Nächstes Kapitel Building the Testimonials Grid: Columns, Filters, Mass Actions

Project Introduction: A Custom Module for Testimonials, DB Schema With db_schema.xml

Project Introduction: A Custom Module for Testimonials, DB Schema With db_schema.xml

Functional requirements

Two tables instead of one

Model, ResourceModel, Collection

ACL, menu, routes - mirroring block 1