Name storage in database

I'm dealing with a system that only stores a single "Name" field in an OLTP
(web site) database. Now my immediate reaction was to split it into: Prefix,
First, Middle, Last & Suffix. However, the UI could easilly get a little
unfriendly. So I popped into Amazon and found they were using a single field
in the UI too. Other sites I checked only used first and last names.
Someone must have done some research on this and made a paper available.
Thoughts and/or links?On Wed, 5 Dec 2007 12:37:24 -0800, Jay wrote:
>I'm dealing with a system that only stores a single "Name" field in an OLTP
>(web site) database. Now my immediate reaction was to split it into: Prefix,
>First, Middle, Last & Suffix. However, the UI could easilly get a little
>unfriendly. So I popped into Amazon and found they were using a single field
>in the UI too. Other sites I checked only used first and last names.
>Someone must have done some research on this and made a paper available.
>Thoughts and/or links?
>
Hi Jay,
It all depends on what you want to use the data for.
If you just intend to print it on address labels for your business
correspondence, than you can just as well leave it in a single column.
If you intend to do something wiith a component of a name (e.g. sorting
by last name, or personalizing a letter by having it start with "Dear
Mr. Jones" or "Hi Barry", or analysing whether your customers with a
specific title spend more than those without), then you're better off
splitting the parts you eed seperate right from the off.
--
Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server MVP
My SQL Server blog: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/hugo_kornelis

Name storage in database

I'm dealing with a system that only stores a single "Name" field in an OLTP
(web site) database. Now my immediate reaction was to split it into: Prefix,
First, Middle, Last & Suffix. However, the UI could easilly get a little
unfriendly. So I popped into Amazon and found they were using a single field
in the UI too. Other sites I checked only used first and last names.
Someone must have done some research on this and made a paper available.
Thoughts and/or links?On Wed, 5 Dec 2007 12:37:24 -0800, Jay wrote:

>I'm dealing with a system that only stores a single "Name" field in an OLTP
>(web site) database. Now my immediate reaction was to split it into: Prefix
,
>First, Middle, Last & Suffix. However, the UI could easilly get a little
>unfriendly. So I popped into Amazon and found they were using a single fiel
d
>in the UI too. Other sites I checked only used first and last names.
>Someone must have done some research on this and made a paper available.
>Thoughts and/or links?
>
Hi Jay,
It all depends on what you want to use the data for.
If you just intend to print it on address labels for your business
correspondence, than you can just as well leave it in a single column.
If you intend to do something wiith a component of a name (e.g. sorting
by last name, or personalizing a letter by having it start with "Dear
Mr. Jones" or "Hi Barry", or analysing whether your customers with a
specific title spend more than those without), then you're better off
splitting the parts you eed seperate right from the off.
Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server MVP
My SQL Server blog: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/hugo_kornelis

Name Resolution and Dynamic IPs

Hi Guys - This may fall into a connection category, but I was wondering
if you had the same problem specially when dealing with replication.
One of our clients is having the following problems:
1) My client computers can see the server computer by name and/or by IP
address
2) My server computer cannot see my client computers by name, only by IP
address which is dynamic
3) Client computers have a dynamic IP address
4) Client computers have a machine name but this name cannot be resolved by
a DNS server
Is there any way around this problem? How does SQL Server's name get
resolved in this scenario?
Since we are using merge replication and we cannot configure it if the IP on
the client is dynamic, then the name must be resolved somehow, right?
Any help will be appreciated,
Maer
Maer,
AFAIK what you're talking about should be possible using pull subscriptions.
If there are any IP issues during setup you could use a HOSTS file (on the
publisher/distributor) to help out.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
|||The absolute best way to do this is to
1) configure your publication for anonymous subscribers
2) use ActiveX Controls to pull your subscription. ActiveX Controls have
DistributorNetwork/DistributorAddress and PublisherNetwork/PublisherAddress
properties which allow your Subscriber to connect to your Publisher on the
fly without having to use hosts files or Client Network Utility on each
Subscriber.
"Maer" <maer@.auditleverage.com> wrote in message
news:uZ9xkrS6FHA.3976@.TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Hi Guys - This may fall into a connection category, but I was wondering
> if you had the same problem specially when dealing with replication.
> One of our clients is having the following problems:
> 1) My client computers can see the server computer by name and/or by IP
> address
> 2) My server computer cannot see my client computers by name, only by IP
> address which is dynamic
> 3) Client computers have a dynamic IP address
> 4) Client computers have a machine name but this name cannot be resolved
> by a DNS server
> Is there any way around this problem? How does SQL Server's name get
> resolved in this scenario?
> Since we are using merge replication and we cannot configure it if the IP
> on the client is dynamic, then the name must be resolved somehow, right?
> Any help will be appreciated,
> Maer
>
>
|||I think you got a DNS problem.
If you are using VPN you can consider changing your VPN properties so it
registers in the DNS server or fixing the IP Address for the dial up user.
Also, using pull anonymous subscriptions your publisher does not need to be
to 'get' to your subscribers.
Jos.
"Maer" <maer@.auditleverage.com> wrote in message
news:uZ9xkrS6FHA.3976@.TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Hi Guys - This may fall into a connection category, but I was
wondering
> if you had the same problem specially when dealing with replication.
> One of our clients is having the following problems:
> 1) My client computers can see the server computer by name and/or by IP
> address
> 2) My server computer cannot see my client computers by name, only by IP
> address which is dynamic
> 3) Client computers have a dynamic IP address
> 4) Client computers have a machine name but this name cannot be resolved
by
> a DNS server
> Is there any way around this problem? How does SQL Server's name get
> resolved in this scenario?
> Since we are using merge replication and we cannot configure it if the IP
on
> the client is dynamic, then the name must be resolved somehow, right?
> Any help will be appreciated,
> Maer
>
>