Path: utzoo!utgpu!tmsoft!dptcdc!dpmizar!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cwjcc!hal!nic.MR.NET!tank!ncar!noao!amethyst!euroies.uucp@jharper
From: jharper@euroies.uucp (Jerry Harper)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Minimizing record replication in DB3
Message-ID: <19882610581717@euroies.uucp>
Date: 9 Dec 88 21:48:49 GMT
Lines: 18
Organisation: Educational Research Centre, Dublin 9, Ireland

I have been asked to post this on behalf of someone who doesn't have net
access, please email replies if possible.

The problem is fairly well recognised, I imagine: an item arrives in a
factory and is added as a new record with major field SERNUM. Each
transaction involving the item also generates a new record.  For instance,
when it is shipped to a customer, when it is returned for repair by a
customer, when it is shipped out again, etc., all appear as individual
records containing the same serial number for the item.  This is not a
very efficient way of organising data on a PC running DBASE 3, obviously.
Does the participation of the item in N transactions necessarily demand
the creation of N records, or is there a means for making a "bigger"
record with fewer of them?  DBASE 3 offers 'memo' fields of 50 characters
width which may offer a partial solution, but doing a LOCATE/FIND/SEEK
on memo files (i.e. text files) when already the database is
1.1MB is size is certainly daunting.  Any advice/help would be appreciated.

jharper@euroies.uucp