It depends...

From a database theory/ normalization standpoint, every column should
represent an atomic element of data. If a particular column is actually
a composite value-- i.e. "111-22222" which is a combination of location
code "111" and product code "22222"-- that column should be split into
two columns and a view should be created that combines the location code
and product code.

From a practical standpoint, it may be necessary to have columns that
store computed values. With the advent of function-based indexes,
though, the situations where this is still necessary are pretty limited.

Justin Cave
Distributed Database Consulting, Inc.
http://www.ddbcinc.com/askDDBC

-----Original Message-----
From: Deepa Chettiar
[mailto:oracledba-ezmlmshield-x1033957.[Email address protected]
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 8:46 AM
To: LazyDBA Discussion
Subject: adding a column


Is it advisable to add a new column to a table when the same value
can be derieved from another column but with string manipulations
done on the value.

Please advice

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