I thought that only InnoDB tables could be joined -
and only if they had foreign keys. But it sounds like
any kind of table can be joined, and it doesn't need a
foreign key.
Can someone explain InnoDB, MyISAM and foreign keys in
plain English? If I understand correctly, foreign keys
simply help ensure integrity. To put it another way,
they help weed out errors.
For example, when I import data, I often get errors -
something about violations of foreign key restraints.
When I examine my original tables, I often find
discrepancies - like eu* rather than eu in a row for
Turkey, which lies partly in Europe AND Asia.
I've considered the possibility of creating foreign
keys for quality control, then deleting them after I'm
finished so I can tweak my table - like adding * to
certain elements. However, it sounds like it's very
difficult to delete foreign keys. I tried it in
MySQL-Front or SQLyog and was presented with an
11-step process, or something like that.
My understanding is that MyISAM tables are faster than
InnoDB tables, but the latter offer "row locking,"
though I don't really understand what that is.
Putting it all together, what combination would you
recommend for my project - a series of tables with
data on the world's nations, states, counties and
natural regions? My biggest table at present (Nations)
has about 250 rows and half a dozen columns, but I'll
be creating perhaps a dozen accessory tables, with
data on area, population, economics, government, etc.
I'm also planning a series of tables focusing on
animals - common and scientific names, diet, habitat,
etc.
For both of these projects, I think foreign keys would
be a good choice for quality control, which would, in
turn, require the use of InnoDB tables. Am I right?
Thanks.
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