On Mon, 2008-05-05 at 10:31 +0100, Tony Marston wrote:
> "Richard Heyes" <richardh@phpguru.org> wrote in message
> news:481ED03B.7090200@phpguru.org...
> > > The database must be properly normalised otherwise it
> >> will be difficult to get at the data you need in an efficient manner.
> >
> > Not true. If your needs are simple for example, normalisation can increase
> > the complexity of a schema, hence increasing development time needed.
> > Sometimes for example you could use something like a SET type, and search
> > for something in it using FIND_IN_SET().
>
> I disagree. The database should ALWAYS be normalised to at least the 3rd
> normal form. Sometimes going beyond that to 4NF, 5NF or 6NF becomes too
> complex.

I'd have to agree for the most part. There are times when you
specifically will include redundancy for speed, but as a newbie you
probably won't be thinking about that.

Cheers,
Rob.
--
http://www.interjinn.com
Application and Templating Framework for PHP