Re: 1st normal form question How many tables is too many??

>> So where is the question you ask... here it is: Does this make any
sense
to you. <<

No.

>> Is there a better / normal / known pattern way to do this? <<

30+ years of relational design ... which your boss should have trained you in before giving this assignment.

>> I am a Java developer and I've been thrust into this so my
knowledge of
SQL design principals is rudementary (sp?) at best. <<

The Java part shows -- you are trying to write OO code in SQL. We got a lecture from B. Stoustaup (sp?) about this while I was on the ANSI X3H2 Standards Committee.

>> Okay, I have ACCOUNTs, ACCOUNTGROUPs, TRANSACTIONGROUPs and
TRANSACTIONS. ACCOUNTs can have TRANSACTIONs, and be members of ACCOUNTGROUPs and TRANSACTIONGROUPs. <<

1:1, or 1:m relationships? Why didn't you post DDL instead of your presonal narrative?

>> There is no consistancy to the data requirements of the various
backend
systems. <<

That means a general system is damn near impossible until you decide on a universal set of standards ...

>> So what I am considering is a BAGGAGE table. <<

What kind of entity is a baggage?

>> ... we are getting into a fairly large and complex (for me anyway)
set of tables and relationships. <<

Yep! And the system falls apart, the boss calls me and I try to replace it with something that works. I bill your company several thousand dollars a day and leave you guys to re-write the application side. The good side is that the app will be about 20% to 30% the size of what it was before.

Either get training in DB design and SQL or hire an outside to design the schema. But stop doing what you are doing before it is too late. Received on Sat Oct 20 2001 - 22:30:25 CEST