Re: ROWID's (fwd)

Thanks Tim! Hope you do not get offend by me posting this on the list! Yet this is the only way I car reply to you: If you do not have UNIQUE PRIMARY KEYS then you do not have a Relational DB (You have a DB with a bunch of Tables with a bunch of data). I say go back and clean up the design and fix that DB. It may not be defined by the INFORMIX DB, but it should be defined in design and applied via indexes by always having a UNIQUE index on every table in your DB. If YOUR DB designer's are designing DB(s) this way I suggest you hand them a Relational Data Base Design Book. I'v implemented a rule "That I WILL PROTEST building any DB on my Informix 7.X system that do not have an UNIQUE PRIMARY KEYS defined for EACH TABLE." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cheryl Kendricks Internet:cherylk@prod1.jcdc.doleta.gov OR kendric@gwysmtp.jcdc.doleta.gov DTSI, Inc. Voice: 1-800-598-5008 Database Administrator - DOL Job Corps San Marcos, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Wed, 8 May 1996, Tim Schaefer wrote: } } Some tables cannot have UNIQUE PRIMARY KEYS because of the nature of the } table or the version of the data base. I could be mistaken, but using PRIMARY KEY } <definitions> were not a part of INFORMIX data bases, until after 4.1, except } in how you designed a data base with good sense "primary keys" of your own making. } I'm looking through the 4.+ manuals as we speak, and do not see this as part of the } CREATE TABLE syntax. Only good sense in data base design is used. Constraints are } possible but not the same intent. But I'm sure someone out there knows the answer } better than I. } } And it's a no-brainer to put a serial column on every table. But there } are indeed tables in many databases throughout webland that do not follow } RI or any rules. You're right, using a better way is always the better way. } It's only been recently that UNIX boxes have run faster, and how soon we } forget the difference in performance from even 5 years ago. Adding one index } too many was enough to turn many machines into dogs ( and still is ). } This is no excuse now, and your comments are well intended and good. } } :-) } -- } \\\\|// } (6 6) } ==============================---o00--(_)--00o---============================ } Tim Schaefer tschaefe@encore.com tschaefe@shadow.net } Encore Computer Corp http://www.shadow.net/~tschaefe } ============================================================================= }