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Data Design:: designing for different price, price range

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:19 am
by kendall
Hello,

I am developing a display catalogue for a promotional item print company.

The information is very complex and sortting it out into tables is a bit intrikit. my major hurdle is the prices of an item

the following factors contribute to the items price
each item has a price range e.g.
10-$10.00, 20-$10.00 etc.
However , the ranges may differ e.g.
another pdouct may have 100-$10.00,200-10.00
and they depend on the product

further to this a product may have a 2 sets of ranges based on a option e.g.
1 colour - 10-$100.00, 20-$200.00
2 colour - 100-$1000.00, 20-$2000.00
and again the option may vary

Now i am thinking of defing a price_list column to help separate the prices and use columned ranges. but i am still pose with the option of having duplicate entries and the different ranges.

my second option would be to make an attribute table and just have them enter an attribute => value as the product catalogue contains varying attributes e.g.
some products have a "print area" attribute other have a suggest colour attribute
this will allow them to specify the aring price ranges in this area.

i having a hard time deciding you advice is greatly appreaciated.

Kendall
the forum profile says i am a professional!!?? Im a professional? I thought i was me...a trinidadian...lol

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:58 am
by Weirdan
entity-attribute-value idea fits better for describing entites of variable nature, imo. It will leave all logic to be implemented in your application though.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:17 pm
by kendall
Wierdian., i would have guessed so plus i see it making the data design alot easier. i trying to work out a strategy for php to interpret the data. See the thing is now that the display would need to be formatted in such a way(CSS). They want to have a ordered layout with the information and because the attribute - value theory generalises the information odering it out makes me difficult. i want to implement a guideline for attribute naming but i dont want to song like im limiting them(although i cud force their hand) I see that their cud be a window for error

Kendall
Thanks

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 12:32 pm
by Weirdan
you could add a column to attributes table... say 'importance' or something. This way more important attributes would be displayed prior to less important ones. Something like this is used in osCommerce, if memory serves.

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:14 pm
by kendall
wierdian, hmmm ok i will take note of it thanks!

Kendall