Jeff Moden (11/26/2007)
The "how long" and "who's going to be using this and how" actually doesn't matter much.
I had a reason for writing those, but now I can't remember fully.
Hmmm.... Think it had to do with need for archiving and growth planning (how long). OLTP or decision support (ie, do we need to consider storing pre-computed averages, selective denormalisation, etc)
But those are more advanced concepts in DB design, and one of the biggest mistakes I see is people skipping intermediate steps to get to a final design.ie not bothering to normalise fully.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability