Question : multiple database options

I have a product that is available in more than market. Till now I have created a field for each of the markets within the same database as the product, then used a checkbox form to result a "1" or "0" to see if the product is available in each market which is then used to filter lists.

My problem with doing it this way is if I need to add a new market I would have to add a new field within the product database within my phpmyadmin. i.e. it can not be done by a user in a CMS system.

I understand how you link databases together via various ID's, but I'm not sure this one can be done.

Hope this makes sense.

Please help? Thanks

Answer : multiple database options

Hi, petewinter.  You might want to invest in a little time and assistance from a qualified DBA.  A table maintenance script will enable you to change the contents of DB tables.  It is usually a form and action-script pair that puts table data on your browser screen and lets you modify the table data.

I would not envision that this would create a new field -- a new field might not be necessary at all if the tables have unique keys.  A many-to-many relationship between tables usually involves a "pivot table" that associates the keys of one table with the keys of the other table.  In other words, it provides a linkage -- look up a key or keys in one table and the keys will point you to all of the associated tables through the paired entries in the pivot table.

HTH, ~Ray