Re: [seul-edu] People Resource Fields

[jeff williams <cfiaime@nconnect.net>]

On Friday 21 December 2001 12:02, you wrote:

> The Salutation is only needed for addressing the person by gender. The
> first name is handy for avoiding the "Dear Occupant" address form.
> Otherwise the name  could be just one field. Thus the user themselves can
> choose what salutation, first name and lastname and accept the consequences
> of their use in this context.

REPENT!  REPENT!

Good database form says you don't put the name in one field.  You will never 
be able to easily alphabetize, search, or manipulate the data.  Keep first 
name, last name, middle initial, and honorific separate.  Indeed, you may 
want a prefix honorific (Mr., Mrs., Ms. Sr., Fr., Rev., Dr., etc) and a 
postfix honorific (Sr., Jr., III, Ph.D., M.Div., M.D., etc.).

If you separate the fields, the user still can decide how he / she desires to 
be addressed.

You want to separate the city, state, and zip as well.  Indeed, with the 
proliferation of area codes, you may well split the area code from the phone 
number (but there is no need to split the exchange from the phone number for 
exchanges rarely change).

This is an application in which the 3rd normal form of database organization 
is exceedingly important -- teachers can use this application as a classroom 
example.

So, take this to heart.  Absolvo te, absolvo te.

-- 
jeff williams - cfiaime@nconnect.net
		jeff.williams@cuw.edu
		jbw9586@ksu.edu