Multiple simple tables or one more complex table?

[Etoimos]

I'm trying to decide if I should use multiple simpler tables in my data base, or combine those tables were possible into a single table. This either way better from a database design point? As an example, my work conducts test events. Each Test Event has a unique name and a set of unique Scenarios. These Scenarios have their own unique Parameters.

Should I create one table called Eventsand put every Test Event and Scenario with their Parameters in it, each as a field in that table? Or should create one table to contain all of the event names and another to contain the scenarios and their parameters?

Eventually employees will be running these test multiple times and I want to capture the data from each "run" and manipulate it.


Thanks in advance for your time and help,



Keith

[June7]

The multiple related tables seems better to me.

[Etoimos]

Thanks June7. Knowing that the Events table and the Scenarios would always be dependent, what would be the best way to relate them? Should I have the same field in both of them and do a one to one relationship (maybe with the event's name), or keep the event's name only in the Events table and do a one to many from each event to it's scenarios in the Scenario table?

[June7]

If an event can have multiple scenarios why would you even consider a 1-to-1 relationship?

What would an event name look like? Use an autonumber field as primary key and save its value as foreign key in Scenarios table.

[CarlettoFed]

This

could be a possible structure

[Etoimos]

If an event can have multiple scenarios why would you even consider a 1-to-1 relationship?

What would an event name look like? Use an autonumber field as primary key and save its value as foreign key in Scenarios table.

If I did a scenario table for each event is when I might use a 1 to 1, but I'm not honestly sure that would be the right way to do it either.

This

could be a possible structure

Thanks CarlettoFed, that gives me some ideas to think about.





Examples of event names could be: TestEvent-01a, TestEvent-07c Sprint 1, TestEvent-23

Each of those events could have 1-20+ numbered scenarios (so all three would have a Scenario 1 for example). Each of the scenarios would have the same parameter types, but the actual parameter value would be different for each.

In the end I want to create a form that pulls in all the different info for each event/scenario and captures that along with the test results that the employees manually enter into that form.

[June7]

DO NOT have a scenario table for each event. And that would still be 1-to-many, not 1-to-1.