SQL table reccomendation

sgray

Im going to write a script which keeps track of hits in and out from certain sites. For example www.sitex.com gets assigned id 60 so when linking to www.mydomain.net/index.php?id=60 sitex would get one point everytime they sent a hit my way. A link exchange sort of thing. What fields would you recommend in the Mysql backend or would I be better off to use a flatfile sort of setup? I plan on then having a links sections on my site which is sorted with the top sending site at the top. Id greatly appreciate it if someone could suggest the mySQL layout I should use. Could I do this with only 2 fields? id number and the count?

Im inclined to start projects, and get this part wrong. Makes it really hard later on. Thanks

planetsim

I think you should read up on Database Design things like normalisation.

a basic design for this would be

id | linkname | url | count

Also this is more appropriate in the Database Forum

sgray

Ill google up 'normalisation'. Are you, or anyone able to point me in the right direction for decent database design tutorials?

(sorry that this has ended up in the wrong place - cant move the thread AFAIK)

planetsim

I think the MySQL Documentation has a little bit on Database Design which is mainly used for MySQL, however any RDMS (Relation Database Management System) will work similarly like the SQL Statement I used then you could use with little to no modification in PostgreSQL for example however I have never used PostgreSQL.

There is however a Book I was told to get during this year on MySQL, which was used during the Database Design class I did forgot what the book was called now however it went fairly in depth into Database Design with MySQL. Most tutorials will only scratch the surface of a particular Database. SitePoint.com Articles has a fairly good one I believe.