Re: Web dev, DB and "proper db design".

On 7/4/2013 6:42 AM, Richard Quadling wrote:
> Hi.
>
> I've just had a conversation regarding DB, foreign keys and their benefits.
>
> I was told "I've never worked on a web application where foreign keys were
> used in the database".
>
> As someone who has spent 25 years working on accounting/epos systems on MS
> SQL Server (yep, windows) and now in a web environment and hearing the
> above, ... well, ... slightly concerned.
>
> So, in the biggest broadest terms, what do you lot do?
>
> DBs with no foreign keys (constrainted or not).
> ORM builders with manual definition of relationships between the tables.
> Inline SQL where you have to just remember all the relationships.
> Views for simple lookups? How do you handle updatable views (does mysql
> support them?)
> etc.
>
> Is there a difference in those in 'startups' and web only situations, or
> those doing more traditional development (split that as you like - I'm just
> trying to get an understanding and not go off on one!).
>
> No definitive answers, and I hope I get some wide experiences here.
>
> Thanks for looking.
>
> Richard.
>
I"m going to guess that your source of such drivel never learned about 
such things.  Probably thinks that a 'key' has to be defined as such in 
the db, whereas we know what a FK really is.

Don't worry.  As a former big iron guy and then a c/s guy and now a 
(new) web guy, things haven't changed.