Perhaps this is not a postgresql solution, but you could; 1. first design a common data structure in postgresql. 2. then convert each type of the tab-delimited file to a basic xml structures. 3. map the structures to the common data structure using xslt. I hope this helps, > This might be a bit off-topic, but I'm curious what folks would do with > this > situation: > > I have about 6 different tab-delimited file types, all of which store > similar information (microarray gene expression). However, the files come > from different manufacturers, so each has slightly different fields with > different meanings. However, there are a few columns that are shared. I > may need to add table formats in the future (as we get more > manufacturers). > I can think of at least three ways to go about storing these data: > > 1) Create a single table that has as many columns as needed for ALL > formats > and make manufacturer-specific views, naming columns in the view as > appropriate. Then put rules on the view for inserts, updates, etc. This > is > my first choice, I think, but adding a new manufacturer's format means > creating a new view and possibly adding columns; some columns may NULL for > large portions of the table. > > 2) Use postgres inheritance, but even shared columns in our data may have > different names depending on the manufacturer, so there may be views > involved anyway. > > 3) Use a fully-normalized strategy that stacks each column into one very > long table--this would be my last choice. > > Thanks for any insight. > > (For replies, please try to reply to me directly as well as the list as I > just get digests right now). > > Thanks, > Sean > > > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- > TIP 4: Have you searched our list archives? > > http://archives.postgresql.org >
