"Andras Kende" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote on 08/13/2005 10:32:07 PM:
> Hello, > > I have a html page with 70+ form fields some like 40 fields are only used > for entering quantity numbers… > > Don’t want to do Mysql table with 70 fields… > > Is it a good idea to put this 50 fields of the form fields into a single > text mysql field? > > Somehow process it with php before, put inside of some kind of xml > structure? > > Thanks, > > > Andras Kende > http://www.kende.com > You ask, "Is it a good idea to put this 50 fields of the form fields into a single text mysql field?". IMHO, the answer is "No." To do so is to defeat the purpose of using a database in the first place. You might as well be saving your data into a text file. In proper database design, every single "logical" item of information should be contained within a single row with the elements of that item of information all residing within their own columns in that row. To merge several fields of information into one larger field actually _removes_ useful information from your data and makes it harder to work with. It is quite common to have several dozen fields defined within a single table. More than seventy columns is definitely NOT the widest table I have ever seen (I have seen network monitoring tables that were hundreds of columns wide, for example). If you need help modelling your data into an efficient database schema, talk to us (the list) about it and I am sure we can help. You describe "what" you want to store and we can offer our opinions on "how" to store it. The more details you provide, the better we can help. Shawn Green Database Administrator Unimin Corporation - Spruce Pine
