Thoughts on manual database design?

[Jay Jaeger]

On 10/2/2015 12:04 AM, william degnan wrote:
> Coming up with a schema that works with multiple manufacturers is the big
> challenge.
> 

Not sure it is that big a challenge.  Perfection is not required.  Just
the ability to find stuff later.  My schema currently has manual
manufacturer - the original manufacturer of the machine, and then each
artifact (copy of a manual) has a publisher.

Consider the case of Apollo which got bought by HP.

For a DNxxxx machine, the machine manufacturer is always Apollo.  For a
400 or 700 series, the manufacturer is always HP.  However a given copy
of a manual may have been published by Apollo (older) or HP (newer) -
with the very same number.  The schema supports that.

(New schema posted at
http://webpages.charter.net/thecomputercollection/misc/manualmodel.pdf ).

JRJ