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To Normalize or Not to Normalize

• To: 'XML Developers List' <xml-dev@l...>
• Subject: To Normalize or Not to Normalize
• From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <len.bullard@i...>
• Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:41:11 -0600

Here's a fun question that pits theory against experience. 

You get a job to create a new generation of an old relational 
database system.  Upon reading the as-is schema, you discover 
some amount of denormalization and gnomic names.  Do you:

1.  Normalize the system using this opportunity to clean up 
the apparent legacy.

2.  Leave the fields as-built including names trusting the 
original designer to have his or her or their reasons for 
the denormalized schema and the names as good enough.

3.  Leave the fields as-built but fix all of the names to 
match the labels on the GUI.

Yes, the existing system is still deployed, still being sold, 
and still being relied upon for mission critical applications. 

Yes the new system will be using XML more than the comma-delimited 
exports it relied upon before.

Yes, old customers will be upgraded in some yet as unspecified 
way when the new system goes online.

What is your best strategy?

len

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