Re: Natural keys vs Aritficial Keys

Tony Toews [MVP] wrote:
> paul c <toledobythesea_at_oohay.ac> wrote:
...
> Preumably though there are bar codes on the cargo containers and a simple form where
> the cargo master can remove selected containers from the airplane.
>
> A welding shop client that empoyed hundreds of welders built and assembled very
> complex piping assemblies for refineries, power plants and oil sands plants. These
> are designed to, usually, fit on a 50' flat bed trailer. The client number could be
> in excess of 20 or 25 characters. The internal number they used went from 1 to
> whatever. It in turn was prefixed with a job number which started at 1 and went to
> whatever. The system printed multiple weather proof tag with the internal number as
> well as the bar coded long client number.
>
> (Occasionally they would have to rebuild a particular item. The gravel pad at one
> client where these are stored is about a mile square. Well, if the plant has a
> large expansion, and there's a lot of snow that winter, you can't find the
> assemblies. Until the expansion is finished a year or two later and you're
> looking at the excess assemblies which are laying on the gravel.. And the folks at
> the plant getting paid $25 and $30 an hour love being told to go through all the
> items on this gravel pad looking for particular assemblies. A great way to spend a
> shift rather than hauling stuff around or whatever.)

i also meant to add that the above shows the beginnings of a case study that might be useful in general, although it's not clear whether getting rid of the union is a system requirement. Received on Sun May 17 2009 - 02:04:02 CEST