Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Identifying Implied Subjects
The process of defining the tables for the database begins with a review of the Preliminary
Field List. Your objective is to identify subjects that are implied by the fields on the list.
You may wonder why you're reviewing the Preliminary Field List instead of starting with
thelistofsubjects.Thelistofsubjectsdoesseemtobeamoreintuitive placetostart.After
all,you'vecarefullybuiltthislistduringtheinterviewprocess,andyou'vebeeninfluenced
by the conversations you've had with the users and management. Surely, all of this has
helped you identify every subject that needs to be represented in the database. You may be
correct, but you could have a minor problem if you're wrong: missing tables.
Studying the fields on the primary field list helps you identify subjects from an
unbiased
viewpoint
—you're letting the fields “talk” to you. It's crucial that you now look at this list
as objectively as possible—as though you've never seen it before—
without
any of the bi-
ases you've assimilated during the interview process. This enables you to see how certain
groupsoffieldssuggestspecificsubjects,someofwhichmaynothavebeenidentifieddur-
ingtheinterviewprocess.YoucanalsousethePreliminary FieldListtoverifymanyofthe
subjects on the list of subjects. Using the Preliminary Field List in these ways allows you
to cross-check your previous work and helps you ensure that the new database structure
includes all of the necessary subjects.
As you review the Preliminary Field List, ask yourself whether a certain set of fields
defines or describes a particular subject. Move on to another set of fields if nothing readily
comes to mind. When you can infer a subject from the field in the list, enter that subject on
anew
Preliminary Table List.
Figure7.1
showsapartialsampleofaPreliminaryFieldList
and illustrates how a subject can be suggested by a set of fields.
