To Beatrix' comments, I'd add: Intelligent IDs can be used but need to have the underpinning of dumb serial numbers.
With intelligent IDs there's always the potential need to change the ID for an unknown future reason; if a relationship of SNs exists as a backup, one always has the ability to use it to populate changes in the intelligent ID. I know this from experience, having gone along with a smart client on a very big project founded on intelligent IDs. On the whole this has been a success due to the completeness of his IDs but there have been two instances where we needed to populate changes in a small part of a complex ID and it was time-consuming. -- Steve Gerow FileMaker 9/8/7 Certified Developer President Abrazos Data Consulting, Inc. Pasadena, California Member FileMaker Bus. Alliance > -------Original Message------- > From: Beatrix Willius <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Clinic Database Design > Sent: Jan 03 '09 22:41 > > On 03.01.2009, at 21:24, Jeff Mar wrote: > 1. What does normalize mean in this context? > > You should get an introduction book for database design. "Database Design > for mere Mortals" was okay. If you don't get the database model right you > will have a lot of pain later. > > 5. Do you consider using complex ID's? i.e. 00123.00101 so MR is > 00123, with the .001 meaning 1st admit and the .00001 meaning outpatient > (vs IOP vs Full day treament)? This passes three pieces of info and then > I can use calculations in foreign tables to break it down into three > different pieces. It had seemed like this might at times be useful for go > to related records as it would differentiate each admission by sorting on a > single field and yet I could use the calculated result as a find field when > I want by medical record number. This may be more complex than just > scripting finds to include multiple criteria. > > Always use dumb numbers. Don't code your business logic into the design of > the database. > > > Perhaps the following could help: don't try to do the complete database in > one go. Concentrate on one area that you can isolate a bit and implement > this. > > > Will your IT people support a Filemaker solution? How many users do you > plan to have? How many sites? > > > Mit freundlichen Grüßen/Regards > > > Trixi Willius > > > [LINK: http://www.mothsoftware.com] http://www.mothsoftware.com > > Mail Archiver X: archive, clean and search email > > [LINK: http://www.beatrixwillius.de] http://www.beatrixwillius.de > > Fractals, 3d landscapes etc.
