Unless you can guarantee a 1-1 ratio of a payment to an invoice, it's better to have payment information in a separate table. Let me give you a scenario: Suppose you receive a partial payment for the invoice? And then, down the road, get another payment that pays the original invoice in full and pays part or all of another invoice?


>I guess I misunderstood you, I am keeping track of the payment info, but have it in the same parent table. The question was why it would be better to keep the payment info in a second child table?
>
>>Oh, OK.
>>
>>For audit purposes, I would consider tracking the payments date, amount, and invoice applied to in a separate table.
>>
>>
>>>Hi John,
>>>
>>>In this app I'm simply applying the payment torwards the balance.