[AccessD] Virtual library management database

Ervin Brindza viner at EUnet.yu
Mon Jan 23 04:26:24 CST 2006


<second attempt>
I was asked to do some voluntary work for some community. I need some ideas in designing a virtual library management database. The database will manage various matherial for amatheur folk dancers, mostly with their home made videos and sound matherial, books, magazines, video tapes, CDs(with many short video films), DVD discs, sound recordings(LP discs, sound casettes etc.) etc. 
So there are two types of entities: "simple"entity(e.g. books or DVD discs with one film) and "complex" (e.g. magazines with articles of various category, CD or DVD discs with more than one video film). The last entity need a main table in a 1 to many relationship with the "sub" table, but the first will have nothing on many side, if I put all of them into these two tables.
For books and DVD discs are important: Title, Author and Category
For video tapes and sound cassettes are important(for each short film): Order No., Name of the film(or song), Lenghth, Category
For magazines(for each article): Title, Author and Category
The main goal of the system is to search on category, so when the user "ask" the system for e.g. Irish step to get all the book, videos, books, articles in one report.
So, my question is: is it clever to put all those various types of entities into one table(and connected table) or to separate each type of entity into own table.
Many thanks for suggestions,
    Ervin


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