Question

I am creating a little online quiz/game. I have a users-table containing a unique auto-increment id, a username field, a password field and a ip field (from where it was created).

That handles the log in and stuff like that.

Then I need to track the users process. The user has to complete several tasks, or levels. However you wish to view it.

The requirements are the following, for each task:

1. Keep track of how many attempts the user has done for a given task
2. Keep track of his last attempt
3. Keep track of where he failed
4. Keep track of his shortest successful attempt
5. Keep track of his most recent successful attempt.

What I am asking is basically how I should structure my tables for this to work as smooth as possible and require as little annoying SQL-queries and code as possible.

Should I have one table for each task with each row bound to a username and fields corresponding the list above? Or one large table with a row bound to the username that indicated which task and all the fields corresponding the list above?

I am not sure, which is why I am asking.

Worth mentioning: Anything I currently have is not set in stone, so I can change anything you want.

Any help and/or suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

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EDIT:
I will also have one table with each task: tasks(id, name, description, finish_message)

And with that I need to have a new table structure for the tasks similar to the one I described above for the users and tasks, but for the tasks and tests.

Answer 1

I didn’t get your question completely, but I think following structure might help you:

    1. users(userid, username, password, ipaddress)
    2. tasks(taskid, task_description,...)--any other details you want
    3. task_attempted(userid, taskid, last_successful_attempt, shortest_successful_attempt, last_attempt, last_failed_testid);
    4. tests(testid, taskid, ...)--other details

Please clarify your third requirement:

Keep track of where he failed

If I am not getting you wrong user might not be able to proceed to give next test of a task until she finishes current test successfully, so you can add one more field for test_id for keeping track of failed test_id in particular task.