Is storing a comma separated list in a database column really that bad?
Posted by: Vincentas Grinius
Date: December 10, 2012 04:24AM

Hi guys,

Imagine a web form with a set of checkboxes (any or all can be selected). I chose to save them in a comma separated list of values stored in one column of the database table.

Now, I know that the correct solution would be to create a second table and properly normalize the database. It was quicker to implement the easy solution, and I wanted to have a proof-of-concept of that application quickly and without having to spend too much time on it.

I thought the saved time and simpler code was worth it in my situation, it this a defensible design choice, or should I have normalized it from the start?

Some more context, this is a small internal application that essentially replaces an Excel file that was stored on a shared folder. I'm also asking because I'm thinking about cleaning up the programm and make it more maintainable. There are some things in there I'm not entirely happy with, one of them is the topic of this question.

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