Yes. The general rules are: Many normalized tables. OK. Denormalizing simply to reduce the number of tables. Not OK.
- Bob On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 1:47 PM, Kevin Grittner <kgri...@ymail.com> wrote: > Jose Soares <jose.soa...@sferacarta.com> wrote: > > > In my db I have about one hundred tables like this: > > > > code > > description > > > > To avoid to have a so great number of similar tables in the db > > I wonder if it is a good idea to unify all these tables in one > > big table like this: > > > > id > > code > > table_ name > > description > > > Could this be a way to enhance db performance? > > No. It could easily hurt performance, and will create a mess of > your data. > > > Is there any negative point that I don't see? > > For starters you can't use foreign keys to ensure data integrity. > > I would not only leave the separate tables, but I would create a > separate domain for the code column of each, to be used everywhere > a code is of that nature. > > I recommend reading up on concepts for normalizing a relational > database. If you mix different logical types of data in one > column, you don't even meet the requirements of first normal form, > and reduce the ability to cleanly apply relational concepts to your > data. > > -Kevin > > > > -- > Sent via pgsql-general mailing list (pgsql-general@postgresql.org) > To make changes to your subscription: > http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-general >