From: | Ed Loehr <eloehr(at)austin(dot)rr(dot)com> |
---|---|
To: | Barnes <aardvark(at)ibm(dot)net> |
Cc: | pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org |
Subject: | Re: [GENERAL] scheduling table design |
Date: | 2000-02-23 17:43:09 |
Message-ID: | 38B41C2D.CF4898C3@austin.rr.com |
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Lists: | pgsql-general |
Barnes wrote:
>
> I'm trying to build what amounts to an appointment book for a doctor's
> office. ...
>
> If anyone has any suggestions or advice regarding table design, I would
> really appreciate it. I'm not sure at all where to start. With things like
> open appointments, this seems much more complex than the typical name,
> address, phone number databases I've done in the past.
A short answer to a rather complex question...
You might consider looking into "Entity-Relationship Modelling". You
can read about E-R modelling in almost any relational database book;
it is the heart of relational database design. Other helpful
processes for ER-modelling include user-interface prototypes and
"Use-Case Scenarios", also available in software design texts.
Another related crucially important process is "normalization". It is
also readily described in cryptic academe-speak in the same RDBMS
texts, but if you're fortunate, you can find an author able to
translate into understandable english:). Normalization is essentially
a process that helps you avoid some painful chronic ER-Modelling
mistakes.
ER-modelling can be quite tedious, but has a huge and lasting payoff
during development and evolution if done well.
Cheers,
Ed Loehr
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