Widescreen Gaming Forum

Data is only redundant if the data isn't used, the grades are always used, even if they change, and as I said it would be possible to automate the grading system on both creation of a DR and editing of a DR. Changing the parameters for grading would only need a single script to automatically go though each game and check its grade is correct and regrade if needed.

There would be no point in creating a database if you don't automate things like that, otherwise all your doing is copying data from text form into a form that can be manipulated easier. The grades only change on 2 conditions, 1, the DR changes for whatever reason, more information is added, a patch is released, or 2 because the grading system changes.

1: On change of a DR, automatically pass the DR though the script designed to calculate the grade when the submit button is pressed.
2: On change of grading system, change the script that calculates the grade and run a toolbox script designed to pass each DR though the new grading script in turn.

Data such as grades are nothing compared to things like images, and I doubted the server will miss then 423bytes it would take to store single character grades in a database.

_________________
: ) Skid : )
My Multi-Monitor Focused YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SkidIncGaming
My Twitch channel which I've been known to stream on from time to time: http://www.twitch.tv/SkidInc
"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."

Data is only redundant if the data isn't used

Data is redundant if it exists in more than one place. Whether it gets used or not from all of these places is irrelevant.

as I said it would be possible to automate the grading system on both creation of a DR and editing of a DR.

That sort of automation is really just asking for trouble. Materialized query tables is a standard DB feature, meant exactly for this kind of situation - derived values that do not change often.

Data such as grades are nothing compared to things like images, and I doubted the server will miss then 423bytes it would take to store single character grades in a database.

It's not an issue of space. It's an issue of maintainability, complexity, and logical consistent DB structure.

Right, and if your going to put all the information in a DR into a database, that would include one field for the grade, no duplication there.

I was under the impression you had a spreadsheet that automatically worked out the grades. Even if that isn't the case the grade needs to ether be generated or manually stored. If its going to be generated it makes no sense what so ever not to store it rather then generate it every time its needed.

_________________
: ) Skid : )
My Multi-Monitor Focused YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SkidIncGaming
My Twitch channel which I've been known to stream on from time to time: http://www.twitch.tv/SkidInc
"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."

Right, and if your going to put all the information in a DR into a database, that would include one field for the grade, no duplication there.

The "grade field" is nothing but a composite of several other fields. It's duplicate information.

I was under the impression you had a spreadsheet that automatically worked out the grades.

It's an Access DB - one that isn't quite third normal form, but the grade is calculated via queries, as it should.

If its going to be generated it makes no sense what so ever not to store it rather then generate it every time its needed.

This is exactly the problem that materialized query tables were invented to solve.

While all of this might automate the moving of data from one point to another, there is still the problem of getting the data in the first place. If no one posts info, screenshots or a DR - there is nothing to upload.

The Wiki is out of date, and I'm hoping to correct that sooner (sooner if there is any help). But, considering there are only a few people who routinely contribute information on game analysis, I'm not sure we're solving the root problem...

give me the ability to alphabetize the lists and I'll do so

however I won't alphabetize 2 separate lists for each letter - split into "retired" and current or whatever by entirely arbitrary means