database design question

[Anon]

i have project database that i'm not quite sure what to do next with. have table projectinfo with

projectid (autoincrement, prim key)
projectname
projectaddress
etc.

and now i want to be able to have a table that lists out what types of construction and connect back to my projectinfo table - second table layout

metal
tiltup
wood
etc.

the end user should be able to choose multiply types - hence my problem. do i need to create a lookup table and if so how to you populate a lookup table? thanks in advance

will

[Anon]

first off, your naming...

if you have a project table, don't call the columns projectid, projectname etc...

call them, id, name, address.

then you have your second table describing the different types of constructions, and then a third table that will link them.

table project
id
name
address

table construction
id
name

table project_construction
id
project_id
construction_id

[sarahk]

Have a good think about why you want to complicate your design. Do you need to search & list all projects using metal? If so, then yes, follow Michael's suggestion (he's spot on). However if this is just detail about a project which will be displayed but not searched then you could just create a text field, use a multiselect list and write the whole lot into the field.

There are often several design options, you have to look at the big picture to truly know which is right.