[AccessD] Primary Key Best Practices

Hence the value of these "discussions" once in awhile. There are many
nuances to designing an appropriate application/data structure to best meet
the demands of its intended use. I doubt any one here adheres 100% to the
Book of Codd. Knowing what experts like you and some of the others involved
in this thread have done in addition (or in lieu off) relational theory is
of great benefit to many others lurking about (or poking and prodding with
questions). I have certainly picked at least one good tip!

Thank you all for your input!

John B.

Now, let's all wipe the foam off and get back to work ;o)

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Hale, Jim

LOL And how many times have we heard this from clients particularly when
they are justifying bad design or databases that "work" but not really well.
I think we have to grant Jim the point that the more we understand
relational theory and its nuances the better we can make informed decisions
in structuring designs. I am not a slave to relational theory but if I'm
going to design away from dogma I want  my choice to be an informed one
weighing the pros and cons. After all, these programs do purport to be
relational so the more we understand where they succeeed or fail the better
we become as developers. As a power user I began building "databases" long
before I ever heard of relational theory. As I began learning the theory I
understood how flawed and unscalable many of my constructs were. Today the
databases I build don't religiously follow the gospel according to Codd but
are better as I more closely understand and follow the relational model.
Assuming that relational theory, at least in the abstract, is a logical
internally consistent theory that works and is worth using, it is a "best
practice" to implement the theory SUBJECT TO the constraints imposed by the
hardware and software platforms being used.