Creating database schema for parsed feed

Question

Additional questions regarding SilentGhost's initial answer to a problem I'm having parsing Twitter RSS feeds. See also partial code below.

First, could I insert tags[0], tags[1], etc., into the database, or is there a different/better way to do it?

Second, almost all of the entries have a url, but a few don't; likewise, many entries don't have the hashtags. So, would the thing to do be to create default values for url and tags? And if so, do you have any hints on how to do that? :)

Third, when you say the single-table db design is not optimal, do you mean I should create a separate table for tags? Right now, I have one table for the RSS feed urls and another table with all the rss entry data (summar.y, date, etc.).

I've pasted in a modified version of the code you posted. I had some success in getting a "tinyurl" variable to get into the sqlite database, but now it isn't working. Not sure why.

Lastly, assuming I can get the whole thing up and running (smile), is there a central site where people might appreciate seeing my solution? Or should I just post something on my own blog?

Best,

Greg

Answer 1

I would suggest reading up on database normalisation, especially on 1st and 2nd normal forms. Once you're done with it, I hope there won't be need for default values, and your db schema evolves into something more appropriate.

There are plenty of options for sharing your source code on the web, depending on what versioning system you're most comfortable with you might have a look at such well know sites as google code, bitbucket, github and many other.