Thats when the standards document says: "Tables: meaningful name" "Columns: meaningful name"
etc :-) Nothing is worse than tables called "TAB_..." with columns called "COL..." Ugh! --- Rachel Carmichael <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Cary, > > As a DBA, I tend not to rely on names anyway because > I believe that > documentation etc is out of date and incorrect two > seconds after it is > completed. > > But for my developers, it does help to have some > sort of convention > when they read explain plans, especially if I also > impose the rule that > no one can create anything except me. > > And then there is the unanswerable argument of > "corporate policy > dictates we have naming standards" :) > > Rachel > > --- Cary Millsap <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Rachel, one of the SQL statements in our Clinic > that people find the > > hardest to optimize is one that has a thing that > looks like > > "id_number = > > 10000" in the where clause. "id_number" is the > table's primary key, > > yet > > the query spends 20 seconds executing a full-table > scan. Any guesses? > > > > It's because "id_number" was actually defined as a > varchar2 column. > > Oracle's implicit type coercion converts the > predicate into > > "to_number(id_number) = 10000". Presto: the PK > index is useless. > > > > This and dozens of other unnecessarily > pathological problems await > > people who try to embed too much information into > their names. > > > > > > Cary Millsap > > Hotsos Enterprises, Ltd. > > http://www.hotsos.com > > > > Upcoming events: > > - NCOAUG Training Day, Aug 16 Chicago > > - Miracle Database Forum, Sep 20-22 Middlefart > Denmark > > - 2003 Hotsos Symposium on OracleR System > Performance, Feb 9-12 > > Dallas > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > Carmichael > > Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 8:09 PM > > To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L > > > > I can see your point, In the data warehouse we are > building here, the > > modeler is planning on prefixing tables with the > type of table (D_ > > for > > dimension tables, F_ for fact, etc) > > > > Hm, you mean we have to go back and revisit the > naming standards that > > they developed? Can I please suffix the column > names with an > > indicator > > of the datatype? :) > > > > The biggest problem is that most management wants > "naming > > standards"... > > > > > > Rachel > > > > > > --- Cary Millsap <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I just think it's a waste. You can tell by > context what kind of > > thing > > > a > > > thing is. For example, consider: "select a.flarg > from bloing a > > where > > > a.croopoo > 7". This can be understood by > syntactical context (even > > > with > > > the nonsense names), without having to rename > "bloing" to > > > "bloing_table". > > > > > > Most of the embedding of type names into object > names that I've > > seen > > > has > > > been implemented by users who were inexperienced > at the time they > > > created the standard. They were worried that > without embedding the > > > type > > > name into the object name, they might forget > what kind of object it > > > was. > > > ...Most such naming conventions become onerous > over time, long > > after > > > you > > > find out that you can find the type of something > in the data > > > dictionary, > > > but after it's too late to save the thousands of > extra characters > > of > > > typing that'll waste people's lifespans over > time. > > > > > > In my old OFA paper, I made a joke about how we > don't embed type > > > names > > > into object names in daily life, with just a few > exceptions (Billy > > > the > > > Kid, Winnie the Pooh, Atilla the Hun, and the > younger family > > members > > > of > > > the old Walton Family TV show are a few > examples). If you have both > > a > > > dog and a child named "Rex," though, it's > probably a good idea to > > > expect > > > them both to come when you call. With SQL, > though, I can't think of > > a > > > case in which it's not easy to tell by syntactic > context what kind > > of > > > thing you're talking about... > > > > > > > > > Cary Millsap > > > Hotsos Enterprises, Ltd. > > > http://www.hotsos.com > > > > > > Upcoming events: > > > - NCOAUG Training Day, Aug 16 Chicago > > > - Miracle Database Forum, Sep 20-22 Middlefart > Denmark > > > - 2003 Hotsos Symposium on OracleR System > Performance, Feb 9-12 > > > Dallas > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > Carmichael > > > Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 4:49 PM > > > To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L > > > > > > Cary, > > > > > > you said > > > "* Don't embed the object type in the object's > name. I used to see > > > this > > > all the time with tablespaces called XYZ_TS, > indexes called > > > IND_THING, > > > and so on." > > > > > > what's your logic behind that? > > > > > > Rachel > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Cary Millsap <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > Here's a start. Not a checklist by any means, > just kind of a > > micro > > > > pet > > > > peeves list. > > > > > > > > * Decide today whether table names will be > singular or plural. Do > > > you > > > > want a THING (singular) table? Or a THINGS > (plural) table? > > > > > > > > * Don't use case-sensitive names. E.g., use > THING (without > > quotes) > > > in > > > > your CREATE (DDL) statement, which can be > spelled "THING", > > "thing", > > > > "Thing", or even "tHiNG" in your developers' > SQL. But don't make > > > > developers type stuff like this... > > > > > > > > select "Name" from "Thing" where "Id" = y > /* won't work > > > without > > > > "" > > > > */ > > > > > > > > * Don't embed the object type in the object's > name. I used to see > > > > this > > > > all the time with tablespaces called XYZ_TS, > indexes called > > > > IND_THING, > > > > and so on. > > > > > > > > * Decide today whether you want to abbreviate > or not. If you do, > > > then > > > > construct a formal, standard, consistent list > of accepted > > > > abbreviations. > > > > Don't name one table CUSTOMER_THING and > another CUST_HISTORY. > > > > > > > > > > > > Cary Millsap > > > > Hotsos Enterprises, Ltd. > > > > http://www.hotsos.com > > > > > > > > Upcoming events: > > > > - NCOAUG Training Day, Aug 16 Chicago > > > > - Miracle Database Forum, Sep 20-22 Middlefart > Denmark > > > > - 2003 Hotsos Symposium on OracleR System > Performance, Feb 9-12 > > > > Dallas > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > Chambers > > > > Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 3:37 PM > > > > To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L > > > > > > > > All... > > > > > > > > Will some of you please provide some insight > on your table naming > > > > conventions? I'm in the very early planning > stages of what will > > > > likely > > > > be a large and complex schema (IT asset > inventory). I have a > > > chance > > > > to > > > > start it correctly. TIA > > > > > > > > Gary Chambers > > > > > > > > //------------------------------------- > > > > // Lucent Technologies GIO/Unix > > > > // 4 Robbins Road, Westford, MA 01886 > > > > // 978-399-0481 / 888-480-6924 (Pager) > > > > // Nothing fancy and nothing Microsoft > > > > //------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: > http://www.orafaq.com > > > === message truncated === > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better > http://health.yahoo.com > -- > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: > http://www.orafaq.com > -- > Author: Rachel Carmichael > INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: > (858) 538-5051 > San Diego, California -- Public Internet > access / Mailing Lists > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an > E-Mail message > to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of > 'ListGuru') and in > the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB > ORACLE-L > (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed > from). You may > also send the HELP command for other information > (like subscribing). ===== Connor McDonald http://www.oracledba.co.uk http://www.oaktable.net "Remember amateurs built the ark - Professionals built the Titanic" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: =?iso-8859-1?q?Connor=20McDonald?= INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
