Re: SQL Syntax Query - sorry

On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 03:31:36 GMT, "Bert Bear" <bertbear_at_NOSPAMbertbear.net> wrote:

>One problem is if a family has two Roberts and no Rex. I wonder if
>"FamilyID" and "Childname" can be a composite Primary Key?

In this application, maybe. In the most general case, no.

A "family"--a word that deserves more careful definition than it usually gets--should accommodate adoptions and the children of divorced parents (which can become a special case of adoptions).

A "family" might also simply include children of other parents. I've seen this myself in migrant workers, where parents might leave their children with a relative or close friend while they follow the harvest. (I'd argue that one's a family and the other's a household, and I'd hope there were other useful terms, too. <g>)

-- 
Mike Sherrill
Information Management Systems