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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-24T23:53:13+00:00

In SQL (specifically mysql) consider a case when I have a table with a

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In SQL (specifically mysql) consider a case when I have a table with a enumeration (name, relation) called type and an int called idtype.

I then have another table called names which has a field idname and another table called relations with a field idrelation.

Essentially if type == name then idtype is a foreign key for idname and if type = relation then idtype is a foreign key for idrelation. Is there a way to specify such a foreign key relationship? Or/And is there a better, more conventional way to represent such a relationship in mysql?

Thanks,
David

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The problem is that you’re storing two differen types of information in a single table – almost always a bad idea (IMO). You should break up your first table into two. Another option is to have two fields nameID, and typeID – but I wouldn’t recommend doing it that way. Without more specifics on your tables, I can’t offer a more concrete answer.

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