Posted by Doug_McMahon on 08/15/07 15:12

On Aug 15, 4:08 am, Summercooln...@gmail.com wrote:
> I wonder instead of just brainstorming, there probably is
> a very standard and a simple way to do database schema design.
>
> let's say we are doing a website. the user can go over
> and type in the movie name and zipcode, and the website
> will return all the theaters showing that movie and at what
> time, for theaters in THAT zipcode only (for simplicity).
>
> so how do we just start and use a standard method that
> can be simple and very accurate to ensure good tables design?


You could start with atomic pieces of information and then look for
relationships between them. For example, list Movies, Theaters, and
ZipCodes on the board. Then it should be clear that there is a many-
to-many relationship between Movies and Theaters, so you can add a
relation for that. Then it should also be clear that there is a many-
to-one relationship between ZipCodes and Theaters, so you can create a
foreign key from Theaters to ZipCodes. It's not a substitute for real
design work, but it might be enough for the 2-minute interview quiz.

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