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  3. Table column count competition

Table column count competition

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  • G GuyThiebaut

    Erm... :^) One database I worked on had a table that had to be split into two as there were more than 255 columns that were required for each row.... It's not as rare as it may sound particularly when you are dealing with something as complex as the human body(it was a medical database). That said - I am sure there are better ways of representing data than having so many columns populated for each row...

    “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

    ― Christopher Hitchens

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    PIEBALDconsult
    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    GuyThiebaut wrote:

    required for each row

    GuyThiebaut wrote:

    medical database

    I'm not convinced -- if the table had columns for right and left arm etc., what did you do for patients with missing arms? Leave NULLs? I'd prefer to have different tables for different body parts. :-D

    Mike HankeyM G 2 Replies Last reply
    0
    • G GuyThiebaut

      Erm... :^) One database I worked on had a table that had to be split into two as there were more than 255 columns that were required for each row.... It's not as rare as it may sound particularly when you are dealing with something as complex as the human body(it was a medical database). That said - I am sure there are better ways of representing data than having so many columns populated for each row...

      “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

      ― Christopher Hitchens

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      L Offline
      lewax00
      wrote on last edited by
      #5

      GuyThiebaut wrote:

      I am sure there are better ways of representing data

      I would imagine in that case you could have broken it down into sections like specific body parts/systems. But then again I have no idea what the data looked like, it may not have been that simple (or not clearly divided enough).

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      • V Vasily Tserekh

        I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

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        A Offline
        AspDotNetDev
        wrote on last edited by
        #6

        Darn, highest I could find was 84, using this query:

        SELECT
        t.Name AS [Table Name],
        COUNT(*) AS [Column Count]
        FROM sys.Tables AS t
        JOIN sys.Columns AS C
        ON t.Object_ID = c.Object_ID
        GROUP BY
        t.Name
        ORDER BY
        COUNT(*) DESC

        Credit to Pinal Dave for most of the code.

        Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

        P 1 Reply Last reply
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        • P PIEBALDconsult

          GuyThiebaut wrote:

          required for each row

          GuyThiebaut wrote:

          medical database

          I'm not convinced -- if the table had columns for right and left arm etc., what did you do for patients with missing arms? Leave NULLs? I'd prefer to have different tables for different body parts. :-D

          Mike HankeyM Offline
          Mike HankeyM Offline
          Mike Hankey
          wrote on last edited by
          #7

          and how would you represent a person that is a dick head?

          VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
          Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

          A G P 3 Replies Last reply
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          • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

            and how would you represent a person that is a dick head?

            VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
            Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

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            AspDotNetDev
            wrote on last edited by
            #8

            I'd add a record to the [Brendan Fraser] table.

            Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

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            • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

              and how would you represent a person that is a dick head?

              VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
              Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

              G Offline
              G Offline
              GuyThiebaut
              wrote on last edited by
              #9

              :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: +5

              “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

              ― Christopher Hitchens

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              • V Vasily Tserekh

                I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

                D Offline
                D Offline
                dan sh
                wrote on last edited by
                #10

                Assuming you use SQL 2008, you are still 29845 short.

                "The worst code you'll come across is code you wrote last year.", wizardzz[^]

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                • A AspDotNetDev

                  I'd add a record to the [Brendan Fraser] table.

                  Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

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                  J Offline
                  jeron1
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #11

                  AspDotNetDev wrote:

                  [Brendan Fraser] table.

                  Congratulations! You have just won the 'Came Out of Left Field Reference of the Day' award (COOLFRODA). :-D

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                  • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                    and how would you represent a person that is a dick head?

                    VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                    Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                    P Offline
                    P Offline
                    PIEBALDconsult
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #12

                    Referential integrity would prevent that.

                    Mike HankeyM 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • P PIEBALDconsult

                      Referential integrity would prevent that.

                      Mike HankeyM Offline
                      Mike HankeyM Offline
                      Mike Hankey
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #13

                      So would birth control!

                      VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                      Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                      P 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • A AspDotNetDev

                        Darn, highest I could find was 84, using this query:

                        SELECT
                        t.Name AS [Table Name],
                        COUNT(*) AS [Column Count]
                        FROM sys.Tables AS t
                        JOIN sys.Columns AS C
                        ON t.Object_ID = c.Object_ID
                        GROUP BY
                        t.Name
                        ORDER BY
                        COUNT(*) DESC

                        Credit to Pinal Dave for most of the code.

                        Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                        P Offline
                        P Offline
                        PIEBALDconsult
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #14

                        SELECT TOP 1 * FROM
                        (
                        SELECT s.Name AS [Schema name]
                        , t.Name AS [Table Name]
                        , COUNT(*) AS [Column Count]
                        FROM sys.Tables AS t
                        JOIN sys.Schemas AS s
                        ON T.schema_id=s.schema_id
                        JOIN sys.Columns AS C
                        ON t.Object_ID = c.Object_ID
                        GROUP BY s.Name,t.Name
                        ) T
                        ORDER BY [Column Count] DESC

                        Shows me 107.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                          So would birth control!

                          VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                          Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                          P Offline
                          P Offline
                          PIEBALDconsult
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #15

                          Too late for that.

                          Mike HankeyM L 2 Replies Last reply
                          0
                          • P PIEBALDconsult

                            Too late for that.

                            Mike HankeyM Offline
                            Mike HankeyM Offline
                            Mike Hankey
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #16

                            I'd recommend a lobotomy, but I'm afraid Mr. Fraiser has already had his!

                            VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                            Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • P PIEBALDconsult

                              Too late for that.

                              L Offline
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                              lewax00
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #17

                              Murder is just late term birth control.

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • V Vasily Tserekh

                                I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

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                                E Offline
                                Ennis Ray Lynch Jr
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #18

                                Move it to the fourth normal and get rid of the nulls.

                                Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost

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                                • V Vasily Tserekh

                                  I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

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                                  Jeremy Hutchinson
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #19

                                  We have a table with 289 columns. It's in our insurance reserves calculating database, and I have no idea what the table actually does, and I don't think I want to know (there are 7 tables with more than 140 columns)

                                  My Blog[^] Chess Tactics for WP7[^]

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                                  • P PIEBALDconsult

                                    GuyThiebaut wrote:

                                    required for each row

                                    GuyThiebaut wrote:

                                    medical database

                                    I'm not convinced -- if the table had columns for right and left arm etc., what did you do for patients with missing arms? Leave NULLs? I'd prefer to have different tables for different body parts. :-D

                                    G Offline
                                    G Offline
                                    GuyThiebaut
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #20

                                    Yes there are better ways of representing the data - it all depends on what you are going to do with it. If you are just looking at a simple full table scan then a wide row can be the best approach. The difficulty is that when you design your tables inevitably six months later there will be a better way to store the data based on how you now want to query it. In the end you just do the best you can with the information you have at the time and rely on the database engine to do the optimisation for you later - if things get really slow you can always de-normalise your data...

                                    “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                                    ― Christopher Hitchens

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • V Vasily Tserekh

                                      I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

                                      L Offline
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                                      Lost User
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #21

                                      Vasily Tserekh wrote:

                                      I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad:
                                      ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

                                      155 attributes, all depending on the same key? And none that depend on a part of the key? No repeating groups? All atomic values? Show me :)

                                      Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

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                                      • V Vasily Tserekh

                                        I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

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                                        Mycroft Holmes
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #22

                                        I needed to supply some data to a stress test system using SQL 2005, ran out of columns when I hit 1200, I was hoping to create a temp table with 3.6k columns because I could then use my nifty table to CSV utility. Devised a different strategy. I have seen many systems with over 200 columns in a table, usually legacy apps that migrated from power users to core system somehow.

                                        Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

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                                        • V Vasily Tserekh

                                          I have a table in the application i am developing of 155 columns i dare anyone to beat me:mad: ps. the table is already in 3rd normal form

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Matt Gullett
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #23

                                          We have plenty of 3rd normal tables with more than 1024 columns (they are split across multiple tables). Market research surveys have a large number of data points sometimes.

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