[ic] database table redesign

[Caleb Phillips]

> >>I was wondering if anyone has ever thought of redesigning the
> >>interchange table designs? They don't appear to be well normalized.

> > I am sure some things could be improved. However I think you will have a
> > (big) headache upgrading WRT ADMIN if you make extensive changes. Said that,
> > remember tables like transactions and orderline offer historical and archive
> > values. Kind of like a "paper trail" for dispute resolutions and accurate
> > record keeping.
> > 
> > extreme 3nf I think is more for a specific application, and not just any
> > software that utilizes a rdb. Try 2.5NF

> Agreed. So is it the general opinion of people on this list that the 
> current tables are really the best design? It is just so foreign to me 
> to see a database not normalized.

Well...Since you asked,

Generally, I find the table layout to be bloated and altogether too
rigid (often, small changes create large problems). Further, I find that
database accesses and connections are commonly excessive to the point of
being grossly inefficient. It is certainly possible that this redundancy
could be avoided with a better database design. Standardization comes
with it's own costs though, most of which cut at malleability.

However, whenever I find myself questioning this, I recall that
interchange is an open source product that was created with the intent
to distribute the responsibility of maintenance of an ecommerce site,
but has become something of a great dark e-commerce leviathan. In it's
tremendous accommodation, many specific applications fall by the
wayside: this is an accepted trade-off.

The sum of all of this, Is that I currently find myself writing my own
e-commerce suite ala LAMP, suited to fit my specific needs. And, while I
develop, my site is running on interchange, performing steadily and
reliably.

So...A balance between efficiency, abstraction, usability,
extensibility, and accommodation. What a nightmare: The interchange
developers have earned my respect.

(Disclaimer: This is not intended to be flame-bait...only my humble
opinion)

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| Caleb Phillips                          |
| The Studio Resource                     |
| IT Specialist                           |
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