Re: General concept, joining two tables...

Steve,

You are basically on the correct track. You indeed need a third table to relate the Applications and Inventors tables. While neither Docket Number nor Inventor ID can separately be a primary key on this third table, you can create a composite key of the two that will be unique.

Composite keys are not at all uncommon.

Steve Schroeder <zamdrist_at_pconline.com> wrote in message news:Pine.LNX.4.10.10003110140280.724-100000_at_linux.loveshackbaby.org...
> Building a database up from ground zero, here is a brief description:
>
> This is a Patent Application database that falls nicely into two tables,
>
> Applications (Docket Number (unique), Filing Date, etc.)
> Inventors (InventorID (unique),Name, Address, Country, etc.)
>
> Now here is the problem. There may be multiple inventors per application,
> and an inventor can be associated with more than one application.
>
> So, there is a many to many relationship between each table.
>
> The first idea that comes to me is I could have a third table containing
> Docket Number & Inventor ID. Neither field could be a unique index.
>
> Can someone think of a way I can avoid having a third table without a
> unique index?
>
>
>
>
Received on Fri Mar 10 2000 - 00:00:00 CET