Thanks guys. I wasn't very clear in my original email. I already had a business section table (with a primary key). My problem was, I couldn't figure out how to accurately store (for information retrieval purposes) information about business sections that use particular applications. I was orignally thinking about putting something like FMB/HR/OM, for example, as one character string in the 'used_by' column of the apps table. I now know that using multiple values as one string is NOT the way to go!
The answer, as Jerimiah pointed out, if an INTERSECTION TABLE!! app_id, branch_id in one table, with app_branch_id being the primary key! Each row in this table will represent an app-branch use relationship scenario! Once I got this, it was like a huge lightbulb going off in my head! Wow! I have setup my intersection table and it works great. My intersection table, luckily, only has 21 rows. My next question is this: How in the world do you setup an intersection table (when designing the database) the use primary keys with thousands of rows? I could imagine an intersection table having thousands of scenario combinations. How do you tackle something like that? Thanks again guys! --- Jeremiah Jacks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > You could do it many different ways. Here's one that > I would consider: > Create a table to store the business sections > (buss_section) and a table to > relate the apps with the business sections > (app_buss_section). The design > would abstract the app info from its usage and > create a manageable table of > business sections which could be easily modified. > Something like this should > work... > > Table nms_apps (..., id) > Table buss_section (..., id) > Table app_buss_section (nms_apps.id, > buss_section.id) > > -Jeremiah > > -----Original Message----- > From: James Walters [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 9:42 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Basic Database Design Question > > > Hello, > > DB novice checking in here with a basic design > question. I have a table called 'nms_apps' which > stores information about all of our applications > which > we have developed/maintained for our client. One > column which I would like to use is called > 'used_by', > which would store information about which business > sections (Financial Management Branch, Human > Resources > Branch, etc.) use a particular application. Often > times more than one section use a particular > application. My question is this: > > How do you handle multiple entries in one column? > Is > it acceptable to more than one value in a column for > one row? If not, what is the best way to design > that > in the table? Have multiple 'used_by' columns? > 'used_by_1', 'used_by_2', 'used_by_3', etc.? > > Thanks in advance, > > Testudo > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site > design software > http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com > > -- > MySQL General Mailing List > For list archives: http://lists.mysql.com/mysql > To unsubscribe: > http://lists.mysql.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com -- MySQL General Mailing List For list archives: http://lists.mysql.com/mysql To unsubscribe: http://lists.mysql.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
