Flat-File Design

   

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Topics Covered in This Chapter

Flat-File Design

Spreadsheet Design

Database Design Based on the Database Software

A Final Thought

Summary

You may have wondered why this chapter appears at the end of the book instead of at the beginning. The reason is simple: You can appreciate the dangers presented by a poorly designed database now that you've learned how to design a database properly. Additionally, you will be able to determine for yourself why a particular design is badyou'll look at the design and be able to identify the problems with the structure immediately. You also possess the knowledge required to identify possible solutions to these problems.

In this chapter, you'll see the three most common design approaches that lead to poorly structured databases. The discussions are brief because they are only meant to illustrate types of design you should avoid. It should now be obvious that the way to resolve an improperly designed database is to take it through the complete design process you've just learned.

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