From: | Randy Neumann <Randy_Neumann(at)centralref(dot)com> |
---|---|
To: | jules(dot)alberts(at)arbodienst-limburg(dot)nl |
Cc: | pgsql-novice(at)postgresql(dot)org |
Subject: | Re: char() or varchar() for frequently used column |
Date: | 2002-10-17 20:15:11 |
Message-ID: | 200210172019.OAA94307@mail.simn.com |
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Thread: | |
Lists: | pgsql-novice |
If your really that worried about this you will just have to have an
effective date and an expiration date on the codes. Leave the expiration
date either null or a VERY VERY large value.
On Thursday 17 October 2002 07:21 am, you wrote:
> On 17 Oct 2002 at 13:28, paul butler wrote:
> > Purely for discussion:
> >
> > On Thu, 2002-10-17 at 22:23, Jules Alberts wrote:
> > > I have considered this. As a matter of fact, that is the way it is in
> > > our current db but I'm not really happy with it. Theoretically
> >
> > CODE
> >
> > > should never change and is therefore safe to use as primary key.
> >
> > But
> >
> > > having an "extra" serial primary key will make the db more
> >
> > flexible
> >
> > > regarding to unforeseen complications.
> >
> > Could you not make NAME not unique? Then you could have a
> > new code for the same name, not affecting previous records. If a
> > code changes, then its a new code, or the old code with a new
> > name
>
> Both CODE and NAME are unique. And they will _never_ change. Until they
> do :-). These are mostly tables which are not our own, stuff like
> country codes, medical diagnosises etc. They comply to ISO standards.
> Someone may decide to change them. Of course we could tackle this by
> using an UPDATE CASCADE, but beside that I want a truly unique and
> unchangeable column in the table. Hence the ID field, which is
> redundant as long as nothing unchangeable changes, merely a safeguard.
>
> > >Yeah, this happens. Later people want to expire particular codes,
> > >or
> > >change their meaning, but not for the existing records that refer to
> > >them...
> >
> > If all attributes are 'unique' I don't see how you could change a
> > codes 'meaning' without (effectively not mechanically) cascading
> > these changes to existing records
> >
> > >From my own experience, I would also say that there is value in
> > >being
> > >able to sequence the codes in a non-alphabetic order. I add
> > >another
> >
> > "seq" column to such tables, to allow their ordering to be arbitrarily
> > adjusted as well.
> >
> > Just wondering aloud
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Paul Butler
> >
> >
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