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[nycphp-talk] Database, table, and column naming schemes

Kristina D. H. Anderson ka at kacomputerconsulting.com
Sun Sep 13 22:34:18 EDT 2009


Hmm, OK.  So therefore it is not the customer logging in, but some sort 
of account rep overseeing multiple customer accounts...?
If that's true, the the customer_id and login_id have only a peripheral 
relationship, and there would also be an accountmanager_id or some such.

Love this stuff.

Kristina

> No. Not true. They can create a Login and map it to multiple customer 
records. However there can only be one account per customer. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Kristina D. H. Anderson" <ka at kacomputerconsulting.com>
> 
> Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:22:49 
> To: NYPHP Talk<talk at lists.nyphp.org>
> Subject: Re: [nycphp-talk] Database, table, and column naming schemes
> 
> 
> I'm not clear on this...  You just told me that you had multiple 
logins 
> for each customer in the customer table.  Right?  I.e. each time they 
> log in, they get a new login_id.
> 
> > But that would also allow multiple logins for the same customer, 
> which I don't. Its a one to many only. So it doesn't need a separate 
> table. 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: "Kristina D. H. Anderson" <ka at kacomputerconsulting.com>
> > 
> > Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:12:34 
> > To: NYPHP Talk<talk at lists.nyphp.org>
> > Subject: Re: [nycphp-talk] Database, table, and column naming schemes
> > 
> > 
> > If each customer can have more than 1 login ID, then normalization 
> > dictates a separate table, let's call it login , with fields
> > 
> > login_id
> > customer_id
> > login_time
> > login_IP
> > session_id
> > 
> > or whatever you store related to Logins, i.e. one row for each time 
> the 
> > customer logs in, with their permanent customer_id and the assigned 
> > login_id for that session.
> > 
> > Each time they login, the table generates a new row, with a new 
> > login_id, and associates it with their customer_id.
> > 
> > So you can then do a query and find ALL the times each customer 
> logged 
> > in.
> > 
> > Unless you're overwriting the login_id in the customer table each 
> time, 
> > and not storing the historical data...but usually that would not be 
> the 
> > case. 
> > 
> > Kristina
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > Login ID is a field inside customer and can be set multiple times 
> per 
> > customer record. 
> > > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: "Kristina D. H. Anderson" <ka at kacomputerconsulting.com>
> > > 
> > > Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:46:25 
> > > To: NYPHP Talk<talk at lists.nyphp.org>
> > > Subject: Re: [nycphp-talk] Database, table, and column naming 
schemes
> > > 
> > > 
> > > OK.  Is login_id equivalent to customer_id, or is it generated 
anew 
> > > upon each login and then associated with  a customer profile?  
Does 
> > > each customer have only 1 account?
> > > 
> > > Kristina
> > > 
> > > > Right.  I want to do it that way on purpose. Because where I 
tie 
> > the 
> > > accounts together is by login id. But most of the time the 
customer 
> > > information changes per account even if its the same person. 
> > > > 
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: "Kristina D. H. Anderson" <ka at kacomputerconsulting.com>
> > > > 
> > > > Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:40:45 
> > > > To: NYPHP Talk<talk at lists.nyphp.org>
> > > > Subject: Re: [nycphp-talk] Database, table, and column naming 
> schemes
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > You could have a table account_type which has primary key 
> > > > account_type_id, and a table account which has primary key 
> > account_id 
> > > > and then a lookup field in account which holds the relevant 
> > > > account_type_id...
> > > > 
> > > > That way in table customer you just need a lookup field on 
> > account_id 
> > > > because there is already a relationship in place to find the 
type 
> > of 
> > > > account based on that value...I think that's what Tedd just 
said 
> in 
> > > > essence as well.
> > > > 
> > > > Although this structure is certainly presupposing that each 
> > customer 
> > > > has only one account.
> > > > 
> > > > Kristina
> > > > 
> > > > > At 11:56 AM -0400 9/13/09, Matt Juszczak wrote:
> > > > > >>Plus, if you're going to be consistent with that "mistake", 
> > then 
> > > > > >>your naming should be:
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >>customer_customer
> > > > > >>customer_account
> > > > > >>customer_account_type
> > > > > >
> > > > > >I disagree.  I wasn't trying to create "customer" as a 
> prefix.  
> > I 
> > > > > >was simply renaming the tables based on the one:many 
> > relationships 
> > > I 
> > > > > >have inside the tables.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >account
> > > > > >account_type
> > > > > >customer
> > > > > >
> > > > > >since customer stores an account_id, and account stores an 
> > > > > >account_type id, I could have picked customer to be the main 
> > level 
> > > > > >table, and just references out from there:
> > > > > 
> > > > > Mat:
> > > > > 
> > > > > Main level table?
> > > > > 
> > > > > I think that's one of the problems. There is no main level 
> table -
> > - 
> > > > > there are just tables. It should not make any difference if 
you 
> > are 
> > > > > addressing customers, accounts, account_types, emails, or 
> > whatever. 
> > > > > They are nothing more than data and each has there own 
> > > relationships.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Also, I think I see another problem. The account table holds 
> the 
> > > > > account_type, right?
> > > > > 
> > > > > If so, then your customer table should only contain the 
> > account_id, 
> > > > > but NOT the account_type_id -- that's redundant.
> > > > > 
> > > > > To access what account-type the customer has means you pull 
the 
> > > > > account_id from the customer table -- then look up that 
account 
> > > > > (using the account_id ) in the account table -- then pull the 
> > > > > account_type_id and then find the account-type via it's id 
> > > > > (account_type_id) from the account type table. Understand.
> > > > > 
> > > > > customer: account_id
> > > > > account: account_type_id
> > > > > account_type: type
> > > > > 
> > > > > In any event, that's the way I would do it.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Cheers,
> > > > > 
> > > > > tedd
> > > > > 
> > > > > -- 
> > > > > -------
> > > > > http://sperling.com  http://ancientstones.com  
> > > http://earthstones.com
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