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Tables, naming problem

Author

Topic

BlasterOfMuppets
Starting Member

8 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-14 : 17:10:45

Is there a good way to name tables that are used as lookup tables? If you have a table for movies and you think that a movie can be in more than one genre. Then you will have tables like the following.

a table for movies, table 1
id name ...
1 Scarface

a table for the movie genres, table 2
id name ...
1 action
2 mafia

a table that links the genres to the movies, table 3
id table 1 id table 2 id
1 1 1
2 1 2

Table 1 is no problem. I name it movie.
Table 2 is the genres. I name it movie_genres.
Table 3 specifies the genres for a specific movie so I name it movie_genres. Duh, already taken.

This is just an example and perhaps not the best. What should I call my to genre tables?

jhocutt
Constraint Violating Yak Guru

385 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-14 : 17:17:21

Unless a movie is going to be in more than one genre add gener_id to the movies table.
Else name your table movies_x_movie_genres IE a cross reference between the 2

"God does not play dice" -- Albert Einstein
"Not only does God play dice, but he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen."
-- Stephen Hawking

BlasterOfMuppets
Starting Member

8 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-14 : 17:45:06

Thank you!

I believe it's a bit hard to read when I use it with joins but I can live with that.

SusanthaB
Starting Member

14 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-15 : 00:25:45

For lookup tables use the suffix as Lkup. E.g. Movie_Lkup

Table 2 you can name as Genres, and 3rd table name as Movie_To_Gengres or Movie_Gengres

Susantha Bathige
Senior DBA, Sri Lanka

madhivanan
Premature Yak Congratulator

22864 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-15 : 02:13:49

Also refer http://vyaskn.tripod.com/object_naming.htm

Madhivanan

Failing to plan is Planning to fail

BlasterOfMuppets
Starting Member

8 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-15 : 13:21:37

quote:
Originally posted by SusanthaB

For lookup tables use the suffix as Lkup. E.g. Movie_Lkup

Table 2 you can name as Genres, and 3rd table name as Movie_To_Gengres or Movie_Gengres

Susantha Bathige
Senior DBA, Sri Lanka

I need to think about the postfix.

If I name the table genre then I have problem if i add a music table. In programming you would solve it with namespaces or equilient. Can I do the same in SQL?

BlasterOfMuppets
Starting Member

8 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-15 : 13:23:24

quote:
Originally posted by madhivanan

Also refer http://vyaskn.tripod.com/object_naming.htm

Madhivanan

Failing to plan is Planning to fail

I disagree with most of the naming suggestions in that reference.

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