Re: Pizza Example

In message <h2jdc.64877$%m6.4324481_at_phobos.telenet-ops.be>, Jan Hidders <jan.hidders_at_REMOVETHIS.pandora.be> writes
>Dawn M. Wolthuis wrote:
>> So, if "the Pizza has Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese" is stored as:
>> Pizza Mozzarella
>> Parmesan
>> in a single, uh, record, then if the ordering is unwittingly useful,
>>we
>> didn't harm that ordering.
>
>Indeed, but you did make certain query-optimizations impossible. Never
>mind that what you are advocating is basically sloppy data modelling.
>
What optimisations? Okay, Pick forces more stuff into the conscious design of the db programmer, but an index on cheese and I don't see what queries can't be optimised.

Oh - and as for sloppy modelling, aren't you demanding that the data modeller be omniscient? Surely it's better to retain as much information as possible by default, rather than require it to be explicitly modelled. Yup, if you need it, it should be explicitly modelled, but it's all very well being wise after the event when the information has been thrown away and cannot be retrieved...

Cheers,
Wol

-- 
Anthony W. Youngman - wol at thewolery dot demon dot co dot uk
HEX wondered how much he should tell the Wizards. He felt it would not be a
good idea to burden them with too much input. Hex always thought of his reports
as Lies-to-People.
The Science of Discworld : (c) Terry Pratchett 1999