4.1. Data Element Names
This is a short list of postfixes that can be used as the name of the key column in auxiliary tables. There is a more complete list of postfixes in my book SQL Programming Style(ISBN: 0-12088-797-5). The most important point is that the primary key of an auxiliary table cannot be an identifier (“_id”) because an identifier uniquely references an entity. Auxiliary tables do not hold entities; they deal with attribute values and computations.
“_nbr” or “_num” = tag number; this is a string of digits that names something. Do not use “_no” since it looks like the Boolean yes/no value. I prefer “_nbr” to “_num” since it is used as a common abbreviation in several European languages.
“_code” or “_cd” = a code, which is a standard ...
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