Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Another name that falls under this category is “Miscellaneous.” (Yes, here's that
name again!) A moment ago, I said that this name didn't identify a single subject
whatsoever; this is a correct and valid assertion. It is also true, however, that the
name implicitly identifies more than one subject; you can't specifically identify the
subjects because the name is vague and ambiguous.
Merriam-Webster's online
dictionary
defines the word itself as follows:
Miscellaneous
adj.
1. consisting of diverse things or members;
heterogeneous. 2. having various traits.
You can clearly see the problems that this name creates, so you should not use it as
a table name at all. There are certainly good reasons not to do so.
•
Do use the plural form of the name.
As you know, a table represents a single sub-
ject, which can be an object or event. You can take this definition one step further
and state that a table represents a
collection
of
similar
objects or events. For ex-
ample, a sales representative wants to maintain data on
all
of his customers, not
just a single one; and a car rental business wants to keep track of
all
its vehicles,
not just the blue BMW. Using the plural form of the table name is a sound idea be-
cause it makes clear your intention to refer to a collection. Collections, of course,
always take the plural (“Boats,” not “Boat”). In contrast, words that identify fields
are always singular (“Home Phone,” not “Home Phones”).
Following this rule will
make it easy for you to differentiate between table names and field names in any
documentation you create for the database.
(As you rename your tables, remember
that the plural form of some words does not end in
s
or
es.
For instance, the singu-
lar and plural forms of “equipment” are exactly the same.)
Use these guidelines to refine each table name on the Preliminary Table List. When you're
finished,thislistbecomesyourFinalTableListandremainssoforthedurationofthedata-
base design process. Note that the list is “final” only in the sense that you've accounted
for all the tables that you identified throughout the entire analysis process. It's very likely
that you'll add new tables to this list based on requirements imposed by relationships, data
integrity, or other information that you develop.
