From: Jonathan Gardner <jgardner@jonathangardner.net>
To: Rudi Starcevic <rudi@oasis.net.au>, pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Database design - AGAIN
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2003 08:38:04 -0700
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On Monday 23 June 2003 22:19, Rudi Starcevic wrote:
> I"m not sure whether to have on larger table or 2 smaller one with a
> join table.

Theory says you are better off with the join tables. Practical reality agre=
es=20
with this. It takes a bit more work to write your select statements, but th=
e=20
data is better for at least these two reasons:
	1) You won't have a lot of empty columns.
	2) You will be able to add, rename, and remove features pretty easily.
There are more reasons, but they are not immediately obvious to the untrain=
ed=20
DBA. (Words like "data integrity" and "data consistency" start to mean thin=
gs=20
when you become trained.)

With that said, it sounds like you are really intermediate with database=20
design. If you were a beginner, and if you barely understood what a table=
=20
was, (and if you were the guy who would be using it all the time,) I would=
=20
probably suggest you use the former method. It will work pretty well until=
=20
you want to add more features or until you start worrying about your databa=
se=20
size. At that point, I would explain how and why to use joins, and how to=
=20
convert your data over to the new design.

- --=20
Jonathan Gardner <jgardner@jonathangardner.net>
(was jgardn@alumni.washington.edu)
Live Free, Use Linux!
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