Changing a table

[bparkinson]

Peter, yes, walk away I think. Even small businesses have expenses. Do they get their electricity for free? Of course not. Nor should they get their data management for free.

 

[Galaxiom]

That this design made it into production means they don't have anyone with DBA skills in their IT department, at least not logical and physical DB design skills.

I have seen hideously structured databases that are among the core products of businesses specialising in providing data management systems.

 

[bparkinson]

I have seen hideously structured databases that are among the core products of businesses specialising in providing data management systems.

I have too. I've evaluated many database applications for clients from a correctness of DB design perspective. There are some real losers out there.

It's proof that one can sell crap to unsuspecting customers if that's how one rolls.

 

[Galaxiom]

The problem for the average client is not knowing how to determine if a database is well designed. All they can usually see are the user interface features and even if they worked out how to look at the back end they wouldn't know what to look for.

It doesn't help when somone thinks they know. I was at one place where the book keeper insisted she was the only one capable of assessing the business management packages they were considering. She actually had no idea how to assess the user interface let alone the structure.

Left to her decision they would have probably gone with the one where the salesman flirted with her throughout the demo. It was presented using remote desktop and she giggled the whole way through it. (I suspect he would have been more businesslike if he could have actually seen her.)

 

[spikepl]

Unnormalized reality ought to be outlawed