Re: Data Modeling Question

Ah, the Entity Attribute Value anti-pattern rears its ugly head again (go to the Downsides section). Don't designers know that the whole point of a relational data model is that IT'S ALREADY GOT flexibility:
- you can add an attribute to an entity (alter table add column)

• you can add new entities (create table)
• all your programs will continue to work and all the entities and attributes are even recorded in a data dictionary for you.

Also see this Ask Tom from 2003 (still being updated I see). And a nice twist at theOracleWTF. There are many more just a Google away.

One good thing about generic data models though - they've been keeping database performance consultants in business for as long as I can remember!

Regards Nigel

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