I'm afraid I have gotten lost here. First of all, the user ID are originally assign and they are the RIN number or MRIN number in the case of marriages. Can I keep some of these and assign to others?
GLenny ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ed Barnard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 1:04 PM Subject: RE: [LegacyUG] ANother question > 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 > 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
