Simply SQL

Chapter 11 Special Structures

	Classifications are theories about the basis of natural order, not dull catalogs compiled only to avoid chaos.
	--Stephen Jay Gould

In this final chapter about database design, we’ll see a number of special structures. These special structures are illustrated using the same sample applications we’ve discussed throughout the book.

The special structures in this chapter are just some of the ones you’ll encounter; we could fill a second book discussing all of the possible structures, but these are simply the more common ones that you might need. Each will teach you either an SQL technique or a table design strategy—or both, since the SQL and the design are often, of course, interdependent.

Let’s ...