Very Computer

I am on a job converting an Oracle database to SQL Server.  We are making
some changes to the data model.  The database includes about 30 lookup
tables which supply necessary data choices to the main table.  In several
cases, there are lookup tables which, in turn, supply data to fields in the
lookup tables.  I haven't come across this before and wherever the
secondary lookup tables consist of only a few choices am recommending to
the client that they eliminate the secondary lookup table and use a
constraint instead on the field in the primary lookup table.  

Are lookup tables to lookup tables standard industry practice?  (My
instinct tells me no but I thought I'd check...)

Thanks.
--
Donna S.

(Remove no-spam from address before replying!)

It would be helpful to see an ERD documenting the relationships between
your lookup tables, but that would be awefully hard to submit to the
newsgroup...

  Anyway, perhaps the real question should be: are the tables properly
normalized? What level of normalization does the design adhere to, and
is this level of normalization useful for your purposes? Sometimes data
model normalization can lead to some funny by-products, but I would
think that as long as the normalization makes sense and you can use it,
then there is no problem with 'lookup tables which, in turn supply data
to fields in the lookup tables'...

Donna,

    The only place that I have seen this type of design is in a many to many
relationship.  i.e. a person works for one or more companies and a company has
one or more persons.

Mike Barnes