Sherry, I absolutely agree with you.
I was wondering whether the User ID could serve as the foreign key; I'm glad to hear it can. By the by, let me thank you publicly for the quick responses to all of my problem reports. That's appreciated! To continue the discussion... Suppose you learn how to assign your own "family id" by way of creating a User ID as Sherry describes. You have another advantage. Right now, I have about 1700 marriages. I'm collecting records for perhaps ten of those marriages. If I'm collecting papers for marriage numbers 328, 117, 1215, and 555, I have a pretty messed-up filing system, don't I? On the other hand, if *I* am the one assigning the numbers, I just start with number 1. The first family I'm collecting papers for (probably myself), I assign User ID 1. The second family (probably my own parents), I assign User ID 2. I also print a copy of that index, so if somebody else comes along without access to my computer, they can see what my filing system is. Note that I haven't tried this as yet, but it sounds reasonable. At first I was thinking I didn't want to assign 1700 user id's by hand. I have better things to do. But... I'm not filing papers for 1700 families. I only need to assign IDs to the families for whom I have actual physical paper collected. Ed > Ed, > > Very good reason for assigning User IDs to individuals or marriages (found > on the Individual Information and Marriage Information edit windows). Those > IDs will only change if you change them for some reason and are not tied to > the database the same way the RINs and MRINs are. > > Those IDs can readily be used for filing systems and if you wish to show > User ID on the views and reports instead of the RINs or MRINs, you can > select that option under Options > Customize > View. > > Thanks for using Legacy. > > Sherry > Customer Support > Millennia Corporation > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com > > We are changing the world of genealogy! > > When replying to this message, please include all previous correspondence. > Thanks. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ed > Barnard > Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 9:11 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] ANother question > > Legacy, in the tips and tricks section, links to an offsite filing system > tutorial. That tutorial, in effect, recommends you file according to the > family's Marriage ID (MID) number. > > I was appalled when I read that. > > It makes sense, sure, but is very far from "best practices" related to > database design and use. That site is recommending you base your entire > filing system on a number intended for internal use only. That number can > change at any time. > And, in my own particular case, Legacy tech support INSTRUCTED me to > renumber the IDs. (And rightly so.) > > Once your database gets renumbered, you lose your filing system. Chances are > VERY good you'll renumber things some time in the next ten years. Hard > drives crash; software changes; you're stuck with a filing system based on a > non-existent master index. > > In database parlance, you're using an internal sequence number as a foreign > key. > Database people know that's a REALLY bad idea, and they've been painfully > aware of the reasons why, for 25 years. > > I personally don't have a good filing system as yet. I'm reading books from > the library as I have time, see what else makes sense. I know what filing > system I am NOT using - and that's the one listed with Legacy's Tips and > Tricks. If I had started using that system, I'd *already* have had to throw > it out the window. > > One thing to consider, is ensuring that others can figure out your filing > system when they inherit your records. Chances are that you'd like your > children and grandchildren to have the benefit of your research. Right? They > won't have learned what you learned. That is, they're not genealogists. > So... make sure they can pick up where you left off, should they care to, or > at the least, preserve your work for that great-great granddaughter who > becomes curious. > > Yes, this was a rant. I don't like ranting, when I don't have any better > suggestion to offer. But I'm working on it... :) > > Ed > > Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > > To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ > > To unsubscribe please visit: > http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp --------------------------------------------- This message was sent using Endymion MailMan. http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/ Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
