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Is there a name for this database structure?
The Entity Attribute Value (EAV) pattern usually has three columns: foreign key, attribute, and value. Attributes of data are stored in rows instead of columns. This avoids the need to add a new column to a table whenever a new attribute needs to be stored.
Though I often see the EAV pattern, I rarely feel like it was a good choice.
When is the EAV pattern the correct solution? When is it the wrong solution?
