When you need to choose between enum types, domain types or lookup
tables with foreign keys, what do you usualy choose?
Only recently I started using domains, but that seems to be painful, as
Joshua Drake explains here:
http://www.commandprompt.com/blogs/joshua_drake/2009/01/fk_check_enum_or_domain_that_is_the_question/
For instance, I have an application that tracks codes. I have table that
looks like this:
CREATE TABLE codes (
code_id integer,
code_value integer,
code_type enum_code_type
)
CREATE TYPE enum_code_type AS ENUM
('Unapproved',
'ApprovedByEmail',
'ApprovedByAdmin');
Now, let's say I have around 5.000.000 codes in my table. If I want to
add new code type, i'm in deep pain. I can't do ALTER TYPE to change
enum definition, I need to do hocus-pocus to achieve what I want.
If I used domain, I can do ALTER DOMAIN DROP CONSTRAINT, ALTER DOMAIN
ADD... Takes a bit of time, but it is more flexible than ENUMs.
Joshua made some benchmarking of the enum/domain types, and it turns out
that domain type is slowest one. I'll be posting some of my benchmarks soon.
I abandoned the lookup tables because of the JOINining.
What are your practices, when do you use ENUMs and when Domains?
Mike
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