On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 8:52 AM, Joshua D. Drake <j...@commandprompt.com> wrote:
> > If improved enough, maybe we could get to a >> point where they could actually be used; otherwise why the heck did we >> let the feature in the database in the first place? I think all these >> "use a lookup table, you silly!" answers are missing the point. >> > > 1. I thought ENUMS were not needed in the first place. I still do. > > 2. I never called anyone silly, nor was I derogatory or dismissive. I > offered, my solution to this problem because ENUMS are a pain in the butt > and have been since the original implementation. I have yet to see a valid > reason to use them instead of a lookup table. I have even written articles > about the three basic solutions: > > > https://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/01/fk_check_enum_or_domain_that_is_the_question/ The one nice thing about enums is that you get two concepts in one column - a human readable label and a system used ordering. i.e., "SELECT enum_value FROM tbl ORDER BY enum_value" actually gives you a meaningful order without having to carry around, or relink to, a lookup table to get an ordering column. Now, this is a bit overrated since you immediately lose that ability if you export to a Spreadsheet program, or otherwise lose the ordering nature during a convert-to-text operation. David J.
