This issue gets periodically brought up on the Class::DBI list, but for the most part, not too many people mind this annoyance for all of the convenience that Class::DBI provides.

Interestingly, though, a research paper by Ron Fagin and CJ Date asserts that you can ensure 5nf (fifth normal form) in a database by being in 3nf and having simple keys (i.e., non-compound keys). Unfortunately, I don't quite understand everything about it, but seeing that the paper's ten years old and has survived rebuttals, it seems workable. As a result, I try to avoid compound keys and I never seem to have a problem (or maybe I do have problems but I don't recognize them ... who knows?).

If any monks who are more savvy on the DB issues care to chime in (and maybe explain that paper in human terms :) ...

Cheers,
Ovid

New address of my CGI Course.
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