Identify all fields you plan to include in the birdsand tricks tables. For example, in the bird table, you might want species, size, age, name, and so on. In the tricks table, you might want the trick name and description. You will need to assign a primary key in each table. Hint: Before you begin, review some database design samples in this chapter. You might spot a similar situation that requires an associative entity that you can use as a pattern. In addition, remember that numeric values work well in primary key fields.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. This might be a good time to point out the importance of breaking a name into several fields, rather than treating it as a single field. Separate fields provide flexibility in sorting and report design and allow the creation of professional-looking form letters. For example, many databases use six separate fields for names: Salutation, First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, Suffix, and Nickname. This arrangement allows you to create mailing labels with the full name (for example, Col. John J. Sullivan, Jr.) and begin the greeting with a nickname (for example, Dear Jack). Also, in the BIRD table, point out that it is better to use a date of birth field that never needs updating, rather than an age field that would need periodic updating.