The State Changers had a meeting discussing database structure and design.
During the meeting, a participant expressed a challenge they faced with regards to managing multiple tables in their database that contain similar data structures, particularly containing an object representing a file reference comprising a file array, URL, citation, and attribution. This issue was that whenever they had to make a change in the object's structure, it ended up being a painstaking process because they needed to edit each of the many tables containing this object. The discussion concluded that it would be more efficient to isolate the file reference object into its own table, which would help to manage the complexity and reduce the duplication of efforts whenever a change needed to be made. It was also noted that having to change and adjust data structure designs as one gains more clarity during application development is entirely normal. The meeting ended with advice to implement the Principle of 'Don't Repeat Yourself' (DRY), suggesting that if parts of code, especially something as complex as a data structure, are being used repeatedly in different contexts, it is better to separate them into their functional units or unique tables. The decision taken was to separate the file reference object into its own table to streamline future changes and reduce duplication of efforts. This meeting is beneficial for IT professionals struggling with similar challenges in managing and designing database structures.
(Source: Office Hours 7/12/2023 )
