Re: How To Handle User Defined Fields?

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From: oj (nospam_ojngo_at_home.com)
Date: 03/16/04 

Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:31:04 -0800

Anthony,

Adding a new column to a table should easily be handled by any Sql Admin
tool (i.e enterprise manager, query analyzer, etc.). Here is a webapp from
MS.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C039A798-C57A-419E-ACBC-2A332CB7F959&displaylang=en 

-- 
-oj
http://www.rac4sql.net
"ANTHONY" <REPLY-TO@NEWSGROUPS.ONLY> wrote in message
news:%23ZPXis3CEHA.3836@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Greetings,
>
> I have received a request from my client where they'd like me to allow
THEM
> to add their own fields on the fly, and have the column dynamically
> available for use right then and there.
>
> I've been developing for decades and I haven't quite heard of such a
request
> but I am aware that these requests have come up AND I have seen them put
to
> use in some CRM products out there recently.
>
> I was always under the impression (maybe being old school trained) that
> changes to a database structure require analysis and design and then
> approval and coding and testing begins.   I've also given some clients
> several user-specific columns, named something like UDF1, UDF2 and never
> more than 2 or 3.   The idea was that the name remained "UDFx" and it was
> not created BY them, just there for them to use how they wish.   The data
> type would be a generic character type.  Users can be silly if you ask me,
> but that's a whole other topic.
>
> If I am to actually give my client this functionality, how should I go
about
> it?  I am aware that this can technically be done (I guess using ADOX),
but
> lets say they ask for the ability to add a FAXPHONE column to a table
called
> CONTACTS.  There's so much that I can think of going wrong that its even
> silly to ask but they would really like this.  And then the front-end is a
> completely different issue.  ASP (on IIS)  - classic - and all the changes
> with that, stored procedures.  Ugh.
>
> Are there any resources where this is discussed?   I cant seem to find any
> other than some of the newer CRM packages out there which tout this
ability
> to add customized fields on the fly.  Has anyone actually done this
> themselves?   Am I the only one who feels its a very dangerous practice?
>
> Thanks for any and all feedback!
> Anthony
>
>
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