Re: FK -> non PK - bad design?

From: --CELKO-- <71062.1056_at_compuserve.com>
Date: 11 Apr 2003 07:13:05 -0700
Message-ID: <c0d87ec0.0304110613.34c01ae1@posting.google.com>

>> Is it really worth adding an 'S' to every table name in the world
just to remind ourselves that there is more than one record [sic] in it? <<

Yes, but what you really want is often a collective noun or other name that tells the reader this is a set. Example: Employee = bad; Employees = better; Personnel = good.

>> If so, should we pluralise all the column names too for the same
reason - e.g. there are many employee names in the "employee_name" column? :) <<

No, because the values of a COLUMN (not a "record" -- totally different concept!) are scalars. Saying "employee_names" would mean that you have crowded several names in one column, in violation of First Normal Form. Received on Fri Apr 11 2003 - 09:13:05 CDT