Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] addressbook model and integration with accounts

[Dave Hall]

Michael Dean <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Sat, 2003-06-28 at 17:44, Dave Hall wrote:
> > > You also ditched the organization info tables.
> > 
> > No they are there. phpgw_org and that links through 
> phpgw_conatct to the
> > other info tables.
> 
> So, you have to have a contact in order to retain information 
> about an
> organization?

We have contacts to record orgs or persons.  If we link it any other way
you would have a more complex table structure. 

The central table is the phpgw_contact table.  You then have the org and
person tables (which hold the name information).  The communication and
address tables hang off the phpgw_contact table also.

This saves having to have seperate tables for org/person addresses or
communication.  It also removes the need for more than flag to indicate
the record type - which is in the phpgw_contact table.

> 
> > > Why should someone have to install infolog to keep notes on a 
> > > contact or
> > > organization?  As far as the alternative, one field is not 
> enough. 
> > > It
> > > needs to be a 1-n.
> > 
> > If they want full CRM they can use infolog, if they want to record
> > simple information, then use the notes field in the contacts schema.
> 
> Seriously - using infolog just for the sake of maintaining 
> multiple note
> records for a contact is silly.

Well it depends on what your aim is.  IMHO the API should provide basic
functionality which the apps build on - infoLog is a great example of
this - even tho i don't use it.

I think it is "silly" to duplicate similar functionality in the API
where an app already does the job.  Our current contacts schema supports
a single notes field, which i think should be retained, but not a more
complex notes function.  

btw what data would you see being stored in this 1:n table?  "rang re:
schema discussion - mdean is completly happy"? ;)  I think that is
better done in infolog.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think infoLog is perfect and I have not
used it much, but it is designed to handle CRM, the API contacts should
provide the functionality to allow this to happen, but not the full
functionality.  Maybe someone will build an intermediate function into
the addressbook app - and store the data in phpgw_addressbook_notes with
a link to the api contacts tables.

Anyway, I am happy to see what people say and we agree on or can reach a
compromise.

Cheers

Dave

dave.hall.vcf
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