Question

How would you approach the following issue:

I’m building a web page about an artist and im creating a database that compiles the entire discography over a period of 50 years in showbusiness. The database contains all the info about albums (by albums, i mean CD, CD/DVD, cassette, 8-track, vinyl, mini-disc, etc…) If i include all the albums editions and the albums singles, there is around 750 albums in total… +/- 10….

That beeing said, I’m building the artwork model and i need suggestions.

I’ve came up with a model and i’m not sure if there are mistakes or if it could be improve. Please, feel free to say anything so i can make it even better.

In summary, my album artwork model is as following:

1 album contains 1 front cover, and contains multiple artwork (inlay cover, disc cover, booklet images, back cover, etc…)

1 front cover only relates to 1 album. 1 artwork could relate to many albums

album: album_id, title, description, cover_id, ...  

artworktype: type_id, type

artwork: artwork_id, name, description, type_id, filename

album_artwork: album_id, artwork_id, display_order

• The album front cover is represented by the foreing key cover_id
  that relates to artwork_id in the table artwork

• The rest of the artwork for the album are found in the table album_artwork. The display_order exist simply to show the rest of the artwork in a particular order in the web page.

Can this model be improve and/or is sufficient for what i’m trying to do ?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

The model looks fine to me.

a few minor points:

I would keep the primary keys consistantly named so type_id would be artworktype_id

The column that holds the name of the art work type could be more descriptive perhaps description

I always try (it is not possible 100% of the time) to keep the foreign & primary keys named the same, so I would change cover_id to album_artwork_id