Re: FN-FORUM: [OT] flippancy - What's the best development platform for creating Web 2.0 business applications?

date posted 22nd November 2007 08:54

Quoting Gary Short [EMAIL REMOVED]

>
> On 22 Nov 2007 01:50:46 -0000, Carrie wrote
>> sorry but Gary's holier than thou stuff is starting to get on my nerves.
>
> Well if I come across as "holier than thou" I appologise. However, stating
> that you shouldn't use an auto-incrementing integer field as a primary key=
,
> and instead you should *always* use a field natural to the row, is just
> wrong - please tell me I'm not the only person on this entire forum who
> knows that?!

Gary,

No, must admit that's how I've always done it too (I.e. using an =20
auto_increment primary key ) as that's how I was taught way back in =20
the day. Not that that's "taught" as in (to quote Dom) "fancy
computer science bollockese from the University of the Bleedin'
Obvious" but from another DBA I worked with, who explained things in a =20
way that made sense.

[OT] BTW Dom, loved that phrase - it may get nicked for use in =20
other locations!

For me and the DB stuff I do, it's far easier to allocate an ID =20
column to the tables that need it (and most do - the only one I don't =20
allocate an auto-number ID to are the ones that're used for lookups =20
between two tables anyway, where they just need [table1_id] and =20
[table2_id] . Far easier to use than 'natural' row fields.

Hell, I've even seen date of birth used as a unique key before now, =20
and that table was a *nightmare*

So no, you're not alone. There's at least me, you, and Dom. :)

Alex
http://www.ozbon.com

>
> In the future I shall try to express myself in a less "holier than thou" w=
ay
> so as not to offend Carrie's sensibilities.
>
> Best regards!
>
> --
> Gary Short
> http://www.garyshort.org
>
>
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