One key to join multiple tables, or multiple keys?
We use a commercial database that has almost every table linked by AccountNo. When I load it into QV, I usually unqualify AccountNo and use it as the key to join all the tables.
My boss, who has more db experience than I do, just shakes his head when he sees my table diagram. However, he won't spend any time telling me what's wrong with it, or what I should do. (It's a personality thing..)
So - should I join the seven or eight tables with just the one key (and by "join", I don't mean an explicit SQL join; I mean the associative QV join), or should I create a distinct key for each table, and link all of them to the master table ("Contact1", which contains company, user, accountno, etc.) individually?
e.g
link to each table
unqualify OppAccountNo, HistAccountNo;
SQL Select
AccountNo,
AccountNo as OppAccountNo, // link to opportunity table
AccountNo as HistAccountNo, //link to history table, etc.
FROM Contact1
SQL Select
AccountNo as OppAccountNo,
...
FROM Opportunity
or one link for all tables
Unqualify AccountNo;
SQL Select
AccountNo
...
FROM Contact1
SQL Select
AccountNo
...
FROM Opportunity
Just trying to find out what is better from a design point of view. Thanks!
