Ecommerce database design?

I am setting up a simple store to sell a few products and need some input on
how to design the database for the best efficiency.
Many but not all of the products I sell will have variants. For example, I
will be selling photo prints of different sizes - 5x7, 11x14, etc. , and
packs of cards in varying quantities. They are just different sizes of the
same product, so I don't really want to set each one up as a separate
product record.
However, each size will be a different price so that has to be designed for
too.
Can you direct me to an example of the best way to set up tables to allow
for such a project?
Thanks,
PaulPaul
I think the 'proper' design would call for two tables. One
for the base products, this would have a product-type ie
photo prints, product-id and any other data that was
common to all versions of the product (maybe a foreign key
to a supplier table).
The second table would be the product version table, where
you would have a row for every different version of the
product.
I say 'proper' design because depending on the amount of
data items in each table and the volumes you are dealing
with you may find your system runs better if you de-
normalise the table and make it just one table anyway.
Hope this helps. (And does not confuse.)
Regards
John

Ecommerce Database Design

First, is there a forum here for advanced database design that I'm missing?

I have an ecommerce project I'm working on for which I have to develop a database that will house many products under many categories with unlimited subcategories/levels. For example:

baseball
baseball \ weightlifting
baseball \ weightlifting \ upper body
baseball \ weightlifting \ lower body \ ...

The levels of subcategories must be completely scalable, as the administrator wants to be able to add and subtract at will. Further, there is the idea that some subcategories will transfer across other categories (ex: weightlifting would be a subcategory of multiple sports).

In previous database designs I'vesimply have a category table and maybe a subcategory table; obviously that won't work here, as the number of levels of categories is unknown.

Does anybody have any suggestions, examples, recommended books, forums, etc. to point me in the right direction?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

BrianOk, Brian... I have designed simmilar type of the databases... the most important thing U should remember is that U deal with relational database instead of treewise... so U must represent the data as a couple of relations (in other words, tables) and link them in Ur queries.
So... for example... place all the categories U have into the table Categories (CatID, Name) and create the table... Relations (RelID, CatID, ParentCatID). So... the Categories should contain the data:

CatID | Name
____________
1 | baseball
2 | weightlifting
3 | upper body
4 | lower body

And the Relations would be:

RelID | CatID | ParentCatID
________________________
1 | 1 | 0 -- that means: "no parent category".
2 | 2 | 1
3 | 3 | 2
4 | 4 | 2

and so on...|||Thanks very much for the suggestion.

I was thinking about having the parentID in the category table. For example:

CatID | ParentID | CatName
-----------
1 0 Baseball
2 1 Weightlifting

...

Is there some advantage to having a separate table for the relations that I'm missing?|||oh... U can for shure ... even to say there is redundant data in my case... yes. If wonna discuss anything more... in more rapid mode... here u r : ICQ# 303978464.

easy design tool

I have fairly simple table queries, and only a few dicey things, which I can handle in access. Is their a design tool for sql as easy and convenient as access?

Can someone suggest a good beginner's book on sql server 2005?

Use Access.

Explore how an Access Data Project works (it has a SQL Server backend).

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Thanks.Maybe this will help!
I create a group (detail) line and I add a chart to this group by defining a
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hen do the normal things with a chart - but the chart is automatically
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"Simon Gold" wrote:
> I need display some processes (lines in a chart) in the report. One process
> per chart. The number of processes is not known at the design time and is
> defined by the result of the underlying report query, so I do not know how
> many chart objects to place on the report at design time. Is it possible to
> add charts dynamically to the report during the run time?
> Any hint would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks.
>

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Hello,

I have to design a DTS package (not SSIS ) in which i want to select the destination table dynamically. Can any one help me out.

Thanks

MV

Are you trying to do this in a bulk insert task or data pump? If you're using the bulk insert task, you can set a connection and the properties of the bulk insert task to be dynamic by using the dynamic properties task. If you're using the data pump, it's slightly more complex. You'll have to use an ActiveX Script task to also set the properties of the destination table to concatenate whatever database you'd like to load to the table name. It's been a while since I looked at the code but it isn't too bad (about 4 lines or so). OR, you can just convert to SSIS :).

Brian

|||

Thanks

i got the way

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Hi All...
How to dynamically change the Table name which i have use at design time. if old and new table contains same fields but changing only table name.(Old- at Design Time
New - At Run TIme)

I would prefer not to have to go through the hassle of manually opening up my Crystal Report documents in Visual Studio and setting their new table name each and every time I want to make a change to the table name dynamically.

Hope So....
Thanks in Advance.

Regards
Henry Jones.I think this is difficult to do this
See if you find solution here
http://support.businessobjects.com/

Dynamically Add Data to Crystal Report from Different Tables

Hi All
I am sending query to the Crystal report which i have designed.
but at design time i am using table1.
At run time i am sending query which contains table2 .
Table1 and Table2 are same it differs only in data, all fields are same.
Can i send the query to crystal report at run time if my crystal report(at design time) is using group by field at design time.
It's giving error of HResult exception.
Can we provide Multiple Tables Data at dynamically???
I am using crystal report 8.5 n SQL Server 2000

Plz Help me if anybody knows abt it.

Thanks in Advance

Regards
Henry JonesHi,

Yes u can, tell me whats u r Client Application is made of
Claasic VB, VS 2003/2005 Languages ???

Favaz|||See if you find code samples here
http://support.businessobjects.com/