Re: normalisation vs denormalisation
Date: 1996/08/14
Message-ID: <4uslc9$jnr_at_newsbf02.news.aol.com>#1/1
visuser <visuser_at_tiac.net> wrote:
>There is a lesson for both sides in this story. Yes, you should
>normalize and follow the textbook approach. It may initially take longer
>but the long-term gains are there to be realized. And yes, also you
>can't just stick to that approach there are times when you have to
>denormalized (just don't make it a habit).
Denormalize, but never do it without understanding why. In particular, make sure you have thought about all of the access to the table involved. Some kinds of denormalization improve specific selects, but make updates much slower.
You need to have at least some idea of how often each access occurs, and how important it is to be fast. If the tradeoff is anywhere _near_ even, leave it normalized. The savings in maintenance will more than pay for it.
Gary Page
Senior Consultant
INTERNATIONAL CENTERS FOR TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
page_at_ictt.com
812-232-2276
Received on Wed Aug 14 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST