Re: Normalize until neat, Automate until Complete

Kenneth Downs wrote:
>
> I have a simple question for those who oppose automation on the grounds that
> it denormalizes. If normalization is intended to ensure correctness, and
> your system disallows writes to automated columns, have you not preserved
> correctness while also improving the lot of your users? If so, isn't that
> what it's all about?

Yes, it is. In fact, that is exactly what normalization theory tells us. If the redundant columns cannot be updated then there are no update anomalies. Therefore theory only requires that the updatable part should be normalized if you want to avoid update anomalies.

Don't blame the theorists if the practicioners have only a shallow understanding of the theory. :-)

• Jan Hidders

PS. What you call "automated columns" is more commonly known as "derived columns". Received on Wed Nov 24 2004 - 21:54:22 CET