Re: Base Normal Form

From: David Cressey <david.cressey_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2005 02:47:20 GMT
Message-ID: <YOlze.19108$eM6.12389@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>

"Jan Hidders" <jan.hidders_at_REMOVETHIS.pandora.be> wrote in message news:Lfeze.139531$Jn.7313539_at_phobos.telenet-ops.be...

> I think that would be very confusing. First, his table actually has
> ordering, functions don't.

It's not clear to me that a table has ordering, if I understand you correctly.

The columns of a table can be referred to by name. While the names can be sorted alphabetically, it's not clear that columns have an inherent order.

The rows of a table can be assigned identifying numbers, if desired. Those numbers have a natural order, but it's not clear that the rows themselves do.

That's distinct from the contents of the rows, which can be ordered if the domains of the columns are ordered.

And, of course, at some layer of representation, it all has order. Received on Thu Jul 07 2005 - 21:47:20 CDT