best way to setup tables

  • Thread starter Thread starter mcnews
  • Start date Start date
M

mcnews

i need some advice on how to set up some tables within a database. i
am working on a project that inventories blood samples. the blood is
recieved in packets. it is divided into tubes, plasma, cells and DNA
are then extracted into tubes. the specimens are then inventoried
into freezer boxes.
each extraction type will contain 5 or 6 like fields and 3 or 4 unlike
fields. the freezeer location (which is the most important piece of
data) of each of the 4 parts will be different. should i create 4
separate tables or use one table for all 4 divisions of the original
sample.
if 4 separate is best then how best to rejoin them into separate rows.

thanks much,
mcnewsxp
 
tblReceived
ReceivedId
ReceivedDate
etc...

tblStorage
StorageId
etc ...

tblStored
StoredId
StoreType <-- might need to be linked to separate table - plasma, cell,
DNA
SourceId <-- foreign key from tblReceived
StorageId <-- foreign key from tblStorage
etc similar fields
etc different fields

I would rather use one table = one thing, rather than many tables = one
thing. One reason it makes analysis and management reporting more
complicated than need be if separated into many tables.
Depending on StoreType, you can set the Visible property on the non
applicable fields to false.

Marc
 
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