Table Descriptions

[Guest]

Am wondering if I should put the description of each table in its properties
(right-clicking, selecting Properties and typing the Description, OR should I
have a separate table called tblTableDescriptions where I add this
information.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

For what purpose? Why do you feel you need descriptions?

(I'm not arguing against them, just trying to learn your requirements.)

I tend to leave descriptions as a property, so I don't have to maintain Yet
Another Table.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Guest]

Just because I like documenting things so that if I'm hit by a truck, the
next person who comes along will have as much information as possible!
--
Thanks!

Dee

For what purpose? Why do you feel you need descriptions?

(I'm not arguing against them, just trying to learn your requirements.)

I tend to leave descriptions as a property, so I don't have to maintain Yet
Another Table.

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Jamie Collins]

Am wondering if I should put the description of each table in its properties
(right-clicking, selecting Properties and typing the Description, OR should I
have a separate table called tblTableDescriptions where I add this
information.

Standard practice is to have a data dictionary 'document' which is
maintained external to the DBMS (external in case the DBMS is run over
by a bus <g>), as distinct from tools that document a given DBMS
instance.

Such a data dictionary will include for each data element things like
full name, plural version name, variations in name based on context,
natural language domain checking rules, etc. The idea is that it is
independent of any given implementation, which cannot be said of the
various after-the-fact documenters for Access (putting the cart before
the horse and all that).

For a good (IMO) example, see:

http://www.datadictionary.nhs.uk/data_dictionary/data_field_notes/n/nhs_number_de.asp?shownav=1

Jamie.

--

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the guidance.!

So, you would you this instead of the Access Documenter?

 

[Jamie Collins]

So, you would you this instead of the Access Documenter?

Personally yes but I'm not sure whether an external data dictionary
and the output from the Access Documenter are directly comparable; I
was merely suggesting an another approach to documentation (hey, you
could use both <g>!)

Jamie.

--

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Dee

In my case, I regularly remind folks about the "beer truck" ... as in "what
will you do if the beer truck gets me?"! (or I take another job, or, ...?)

Regards

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

Just because I like documenting things so that if I'm hit by a truck, the
next person who comes along will have as much information as possible!

 

[Jamie Collins]

In my case, I regularly remind folks about the "beer truck" ... as in "what
will you do if the beer truck gets me?"!

Falling off the wagon and under its wheels <g>?

Jamie.

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