3NF=Third normal form, as in normalization of a table, right? It strikes me what you say about this. 3NF is minimal requirement, IMHO.

The third normal form is the most accepted (though the 4th and 5th normal form also exists) form of normalization. But for performance reasons it is often neccesary to denormalize and add some (controlled) redundancy. The disadvantage of maintaining data in several places often doesn't weigh up to the advantages of denormalization.

In theory the 3NF is beatifull, in practive it often is a three headed dragon.

>I've been following both -index on deleted()- discussions, and it really seems that you don't like the established practices. "The establishment", let's say. All along you say that this is a theory of yours, but you talk as if it was 100% proven. But then again you also say 100% proof is hard to get.

Parts of the theory i did test on real world data. So i'm about 99.99% sure about the cases i've tested. But in this world of optimizing query's this doesn't prove that this rule applies to all cases. From the cases i've tested you can predict (theory) how it will fit in other cases. The one cases where it's very hard to get 100% proof is where it is theorectly possible to optimize the query by using indexes only, but from the cases i've test VFP doesn't.

I said: To my best knowledge VFP doesn't use full index scan (or coverage ?) to optimize queries. But to prove this, you must test al possible cases. IOW 100% prove is hard to get.

>The fact that you've got a hypothesis about something doesn't make it a rule for everyone else, and that is not the message that has come through (at least for me) when you defend your arguments.

The fact is, that at least a part of the theory is proven, (by examples in these two threads), the other part (which in my opinion is a lot smaller but more complicated), in my opnion, should also work according this theory. But then again you can't test all possible cases.

A few people which did defence the tag on deleted, bring some examples where it could be of an advantage, but none of them has been able to deliver some kind of prove that my theory isn't right.

Walter,