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Posted by Amer Neely on 06/28/05 22:24
Eric Fortier wrote:
> Hi all.
>
> I'm building a database to keep track of users and their products. The number
> of users is expected to always increase (hopefully ;) and each user can add any
> number of products to their account.
>
> The product definition will have several fields and might take several
> kilobytes of space (title, short and long description, etc).
>
> I have a user database that keeps track of all user related information, like
> emails, address, etc. What I was puzzling over was how to store the products
> for each users. Creating a "products" table for each user was my first thought
> but I'm not sure it's the best way to go, especially when thousands of users
> will have an account.
>
> Another idea was to create a global "Products" table and place all products for
> all users in there with an identifier for doing lookups. Again, I'm not sure
> this is the right kind if approach.
>
> Drive space is not an issue, but quick delivery of product infos to viewer is.
>
> Any suggestion?
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> --Eric
> http://www.tlnewsreader.com
>
I think your second approach makes sense. You would have to tie the
product/s to each user via a PK as in all relational designs. Read up on
relational db design to get a better idea on how to attack the questions
you will have. The MySQL manual is a good place to start. Also,
'Database Design For Mere Mortals' by Michael Hernandez has done me well.
--
Amer Neely, Softouch Information Services
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