On 12 Oct 2004, wizofoz2k_at_yahoo.com.au wrote:
> Galen Boyer <galenboyer_at_hotpop.com> wrote in message
>> Maybe someone needs to define a "natural key". Seems to me,
>> it is a key that some other system has already defined.
>
> The actual choice of a natural key can be in fact a very
> nasty problem. And by no means easy. Some times what
> appears to be a sensible choice turns up to be a disaster
> a few months down the line.
This is another positive for surrogates. One can design their
database and get their application development underway without
knowing all the sources of data.
--
Galen Boyer
Received on Tue Oct 12 2004 - 07:52:14 CDT
