On 9/25/2015 4:03 PM, m...@markesystems.com wrote: >>> Not sure why you have VARCHARs for primary keys, why not use the >>> conventional auto-increment int so you can dispense with >>> the LastGeneratedArtifactID table. >>> > >> Because my artifact ID's are not always just numbers. In some cases >> they may already be marked on an artifact (though typically not for >> manuals - but this is just the first of a set of such projects, and they >> *are* marked on many of my computer boards). >
For anyone who might care, today I decided to move to an auto-increment key on the Manual table, and then use that key in the Manual_Artifact, Manual_File and Manual_Machines tables. (But not the ArtifactID ;) ). It was an outgrowth of doing some data clean up and realizing that a manual from one manufacturer was sometimes related to a machine by a different manufacturer (e.g., ABLE computer boards in Digital Equipment machines). I was going to sometimes end up with two manufacturers in the Manual_Machines table, which was apt to get confusing over time. So I will now have a Manual_MFG column, which is used only in the Manual table, and a Machine_MFG column, used only in the Manual_Machine table. A new Manual_Key will be used in place of the Machine_MFG:Manual_Number pair I had been using all over the place. I still have to finish the model, and will update the PDF I put on my website at some point in the next day or so. JRJ
