Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > I would like complete control over this information -- so if sometime in the > future it's decided to totally redesign the layout. Also, at some point a > tool will be created so novice computer users can enter nicely formatted > markup -- meaning you won't have to know HTML to use this tool.
You should go look at some of the XML database books out there and maybe you'll find a tool to do what you want. But beware, there's a lot of snake-oil in this field. Anyone who promises a one-size-fits-all solution to every problem is probably deluded. The problem is hard. There's an inherent tension between being able to easily manipulate parts of the data and flexibility in the type of data you can represent. One one side is the traditional relational database model where every record must contain precisely the same fixed list of predetermined columns. One the other side is the decidely non-relational model where you just store a large hunk of xml text. What you're looking for is one of the many systems that attempt to bridge these two extremes and provide the best of both worlds. -- greg ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 9: In versions below 8.0, the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your joining column's datatypes do not match