[Nottingham] SQLite and 'locking'

[Ovid]

--- Duncan John Fyfe <djf at star.le.ac.uk> wrote:

> I see databases much in the same way I see security.  You can devise
> the
> perfect system but if it makes life difficult users will work around
> you
> and not with you.  Until somebody comes up with the perfect usable
> system (and isn't vapourware) then we are all just trying to get the
> job done the best way we can with what we have.  

Except that having a seats.booked_by column and allowing it to be NULL
is clearly broken.  That's not "the best way we can".  If the solution
wasn't as simple as having another table represent that, I might lean
your direction, but the fix is too trivial for me to buy this argument
*in this specific case*.  (I have used NULLs in databases before and
will continue to do so in the future, but only when the the "correct"
solution becomes problematic).

Cheers,
Ovid

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