Re: Bill of materials / Groups in Groups

joe_celko_at_my-deja.com wrote:

>>> I don't like your orders table here. It only allows for one product
>per order. I think it is much more typical to have a line items table
>so that an order can have different inventory items on it. <<
>
>I agree, but we could set up a business with only one product per
>order. The one I can think of is heavy equipment -- the shipping and
>handling is so horrible that it requires a separate set of forms for
>each part. You don't just pop a steam shovel part in UPS ...
>
>The more typical system would have an OrderDetails table keyed on the
>order number and a detail line number. What surprises me in these
>systems is that I can have the same product on diffrent lines and the
>database will not consolidate them into one line. Not a bad
>programming problem ...

     It is not necessarily what is wanted though. If an order could be logically split into more than one part, say special plumbing parts for bathroom and kitchen, you might not want automatic aggregating.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:

     I have preferences.
     You have biases.
     He/She has prejudices.