[thelist] SQL - Foreign Key Constraint - in another database?

[spinhead]

I'm not convinced, Matt.. Tables are inherently collections of whatever,
implying plurality (as you said.) If the plurality is implied, shouldn't it
be named? Also makes queries (my simple little ones, anyway) flow more
naturally, the plural looking more like language rather than abstract code.

I'm not an old hand at db admin by any means, so I'm genuinely interested in
this kind of feedback, but this seems backward to me. Are there admin
issues, etc. you've run into, or is it a personal preference thing?

spinhead

p.s. CATEGORIES, OCTOPI, and FISH. Plural is plural, so CATEGORYS is just a
misspelling. In my databases I use the strict Latin plurals, so OCTOPUSSES
wouldna happen. Finally, isn't FISH already plural?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Warden, Matt" <mwarden at mattwarden.com>
To: <thelist at lists.evolt.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2001 3:41 PM
Subject: RE: [thelist] SQL - Foreign Key Constraint - in another database?


> >Establish naming conventions for your databases, and ensure that all
> >databases, fields, tables, stored procedures, etc. conform. It helps with
> >the portability and reusability of code and data, and is a bit of a
memory
> >aid; when you know, for instance, that tables are always named in the
> >plural, you don't have to struggle to remember if it was 'employee' or
> >'employees' and can focus on the task rather than the minutiae.
>
>
> Ewww... that naming convention is not needed because table names should
> never be plural. They don't need to be. Tables have multiple records, so
> a 'table' implies the plural anyways.
>
> So:
>
> create table EMPLOYEE
> (
> ...
> );
>
> implies that the table will hold multiple employees. Singlular table names
> are so much nicer than plural (is that CATEGORYS or CATEGORIES? OCTOPUSSES
> or OCTOPI? FISHES or FISH?).
>
> Not that everyone follows this. Hell, even the evolt database has plurals
> in some instances.
>
>
> I'd show you a diagram of the evolt db, but it's pretty out of date. And,
> no, this isn't a subtle prod, rudy  =)
>
> </soapbox>
>
>
> thanks,
>
> --
> mattwarden
> mattwarden.com
>
>
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