Re: [stella] SQL megalist

[Glenn Saunders <cybpunks@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 08:54 AM 11/24/2000 +0100, you wrote:
> Also, should things become really serious, you will have to build a more 
> complex database structure. For example, to avoid data duplication, you'd 
> better put the game name in a separate table, because the same game could 
> be available for more platforms.

I thought about that but I decided against it on the basis that you might 
have two games called the same but which are in fact different games--even 
for the same platform.  Two games called "Football" for instance.

The way this table works, each row in the table refers to a separate 
program, whether it's a port of the same basic game or an independent game, 
it's still a separate program, a separate codebase.  If their names are the 
same, that's some redundancy I can live with, and this simplifies the queries.

I did eliminate cart variations from the list, though.  So we'd have to 
hang a separate table off of that to distinguish between Sears and Atari 
variations, etc...  That is not relevant to all the titles on the list.

I also don't distinguish between PAL and NTSC.  Again, a separate table 
might be able to describe this for the games that require it.  Still, the 
codebase for PAL and NTSC is so similar I'd almost want to consider it the 
same with just a footnote somewhere.  That is, if we are mainly using a 
table for game programmer credits rather than to describe the games 
themselves in detail.

> If you can have a decent web-app working, that allows users to insert and 
> update data, then the data-entry part will not be a problem anymore. I'm 
> sure that there is enough people on the net willing to type-in the data 
> for their favourite systems.

That's what I'm hoping.  But I need to build in a user permission system 
for modifying the tables.  Vandals could destroy it if I just leave it 
totally open.



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