Re: O'Reilly interview with Date
From: Kenneth Downs <knode.wants.this_at_see.sigblock>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 11:39:43 -0400
Message-Id: <lkjps2-76f.ln1_at_pluto.downsfam.net>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 11:39:43 -0400
Message-Id: <lkjps2-76f.ln1_at_pluto.downsfam.net>
David Cressey wrote:
>
> In this connection, I want to express a contrarian view about "natural
> joins".
> I think making joins "natural" based on common column names is a mistake.
> It's overloading the column name.
> Natural joins sohlud be based on common domain names. Better yet, they
> should be based on declared REFERENCES constraints (perhaps unenforced).
In my own system I never manually code a join, I just specify the two tables and it builds it out of the foreign key definitions.
The foreign key definition has a little more going for it than a REFERENCE constraint, because it actually defines the columns in the child table instead of just referencing existing columns.
-- Kenneth Downs Secure Data Software, Inc. (Ken)nneth_at_(Sec)ure(Dat)a(.com)Received on Wed Aug 10 2005 - 17:39:43 CEST