IDS Forum

Re: Does anyone have production databases wher....

Posted By: Art Kagel
Date: Sunday, 6 May 2012, at 4:02 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta (FRANK J. COMPUTER)

I am personally opposed to naming columns starting with the tablename
whether it is 3 letters or 18 letters. Personal opinion. Informix only
requires you to qualify a column name if it is not unique within the tables
listed in the FROM clause if a single query, they do not have to be unique
across the entire database. As you say, using <tablename part>_<column
specific name part> is no better or worse than <tablename>.<column name>
and the latter will entail less typing since you don't have to use the
longer form in every reference to the column. Even when you have to
qualify the column name, table aliases can be used to reduce the tablename
needed to qualify to a one or two letter alias.

Here are my best practices when I design a database:

- Name tables after the object that they map

- Name tables in plural since they contain multiple instances of the

object in general

- Name columns after the data they contain. If two columns in two

tables contain the same data (say a primary and foreign key or a deliberate

denomalization for convenience) then they should have the identical name.

- Avoid trivial names (like "id", "key", etc.) unless the purpose is

obvious and trivial. (I will use seq or sequence for a sequential sub-key,

but even that makes me cringe when I review my own work later.)

- Avoid reserved words and other keywords for object names (so no

columns named "date", "time", "serial", "from", "alias", "to", etc.).

- Avoid naming schemes (like polish notation) that include data types in

the column name.

Art

Art S. Kagel
Advanced DataTools (www.advancedatatools.com)
Blog: http://informix-myview.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions
and do not reflect on my employer, Advanced DataTools, the IIUG, nor any
other organization with which I am associated either explicitly,
implicitly, or by inference. Neither do those opinions reflect those of
other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor
those of the entities themselves.

On Sun, May 6, 2012 at 1:21 PM, FRANK J. COMPUTER
<frank_in_pr@hotmail.com>wrote:

> What is a good and generally accepted convention for naming tables?..
> examples: lookup tables, fact tables, etc.. Ever since SE 2.10.06, I have
> been
> using short 3-letter abbreviations for my table names and use the same
> 3-letters as a prefix when naming columns so that every column name in
> SYSCOLUMNS is unique. Column name tbl_col_name is the same as saying
> tbl.col_name, and informix allows you to use just the column name if it is
> unique within SYSCOLUMNS.
>
>
>
> *******************************************************************************
> Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.
>
>

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Messages In This Thread

• Does anyone have production databases where table
  Jonathan Leffler -- Friday, 20 April 2012, at 2:30 p.m.
  • Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta
    Art Kagel -- Friday, 20 April 2012, at 3:34 p.m.
  • Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta
    Fernando Nunes -- Friday, 20 April 2012, at 5:05 p.m.
  • Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta
    Paul Watson -- Friday, 20 April 2012, at 6:57 p.m.
  • Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta
    FRANK J. COMPUTER -- Sunday, 6 May 2012, at 1:21 p.m.
    • Re: Does anyone have production databases wher....
      Art Kagel -- Sunday, 6 May 2012, at 4:02 p.m.
  • Re: Does anyone have production databases where ta
    FRANK J. COMPUTER -- Sunday, 6 May 2012, at 1:30 p.m.
    • Re: Does anyone have production databases wher....
      Art Kagel -- Sunday, 6 May 2012, at 4:13 p.m.

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