Feasible ?

[#1]

I have a strange request ....

Ok there is a costumer that want a document with some analysis on it.

I have several table and so on linked by keys .... some of them are linked with table to get the description of a code

So far it's seems to be a practicable project.

The strange request is:

They have several identical ERP for each company of the group.

So they want just one document where they can select which company they want to see...

Ok it's just neccesary to add a "source flag" ..... the problem is that the linked table with the description of a code for the same code they can be different from a company to an another of the group.

So I should add the source flag for each table of the my analysis but that will get me to have syntehic keys because I will have the normal key used plus the source code for each table imported.

[#2]

Hi it seems there is a integration work (You can find that in any books about ETL, like a Kimball one) before use the code. For exemple you can a a referential code and match all your source code with it. The integration work goal is to make a all sources compliance... At the end, you will have juste one code for the key (but you can keep others ones to display them)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_integration#Example

[#3]

Hi,

you can use a composite key if you don't want synthetic key.

for example

rather then linking them as

load

     A,

     B,

     C

resident table1;

load

     A,

     B,

     D

resident table2;

this will create a synthetic key but if you do

load

     A&'|'&B as AB,

     C

resident table1;

load

     A&'|'&B as AB,

     D

resident table2;

SO, here also your tables are linked but without any synthetic key.

One thing I would like to add here is that this is just one of the way to avoid synthetic key and may not be the best solution in every case.

So, just see if it works in your case.

....

Ashutosh