[UPHPU] Database Question

[Jonathan Duncan]

On Mon, 14 Aug 2006, Webot Graphics wrote:

> I have a project which involves keeping a running inventory on all the 
> products which the company I work for manufactures/uses/stores.
>
> Currently this company uses MYOB (which I don't like) for it's P.O.S. system. 
> Since they never used the inventory side of it there is no inventory 
> associated with all the line items (part of why I don't like MYOB: they won't 
> let you start to inventory an item after it has been created). The company 
> has multiple sizes of each product, and each size has it's own line item.
>
> --example--
> item# 202 vanilla extract 1oz
> item# 203 vanilla extract 2oz
> item# 204 vanilla extract 4oz
> item# 205 vanilla extract 8oz
> item# 206 vanilla extract 16oz
>
> So my question is: When I go to create a new database (because I can't find a 
> way to access the MYOB Database, another reason I don't like MYOB) should I 
> continue to have a separate line item for each, or have 1 table with the 
> sizes in it, 1 table with the products in it, and 1 table that connects the 
> two?
>
> I haven't done any heavy database setups so I am new at this. What do you 
> think?
>

You should read up on first, second, and third level normalization.  If 
you plan on creating databases at all, you should do yourself the favor of 
understanding what normalization is.

To answer your question it would be helpful to also know if each separate 
size is also a different price.  If so, then you may need yet another 
table for prices for each product and each size of product.  Are all 
products in the database like this?  Are all of them going to follow the 
same pattern?

Jonathan