I have data from two different sources that I would like to store in a mysql database. Dataset_1 has pieces of information A, B, and C (let's say first, middle, and last name) and Dataset_2 has pieces of information A, B, C, and D (first, middle, last names and a DOUBLE value).
Dataset_1 has 9.5 million records, while Dataset_2 has only 0.5 million records. I am interested in keeping all of this information, and would like to store Dataset_1 and Dataset_2 in the same table. However, if the table was created with columns A, B, C, and D, most of the entries in the D column will be NULL. Is this considered 'good form'? Even though these entries are all NULL, they will still consume the disk space that a DOUBLE will, correct? Will this impact the speed of querying this table? Would it be better to create one table to store A, B, C and a second table solely to store D? I'd say I am most concerned with performance, then storage space, and finally with good form. Thanks for your time. -Rob Crowell -- MySQL General Mailing List For list archives: http://lists.mysql.com/mysql To unsubscribe: http://lists.mysql.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
