[OAI-implementers] Sets and stuff, OAI 2.0

[deridder]

I need to make some decisions here, and would like to hear from
folks more experienced than I, before I do so.

My dilemma relates to 2 things:
 1) in the Migration Document: Set: Textual Changes:
    " If a repository supports sets, the header of a record must
   indicate the set membership of the item from which that record was
   disseminated."
 2) some of our records are beginning to be included in multiple sets.

The dilemma is: how to implement the database to return records in a
timely manner, and be scalable.

If I allow a record to be in 0-5 sets, and the set fields are in the
same table as the record fields, 5 selects on the same table are required
to respond to a single ListRecord request with set argument.

If I put the sets in a secondary table, pull out all the identifiers for
a given set (same request), then when I have a request for ListRecords
*without* a set argument, I need to do a select on the set table for each
record returned in the ListRecord response.

Am I missing a plausible option here?
I would be grateful for suggestions.

Maybe I should forget the sets altogether.  For those of you with
harvesters and search engines:  how do you use the repository sets
 (or do you?)
(Oh, and if you can recommend which ListRecord fields you have found
useful, I'd like to hear about that also;  I'd like to standardize my
returns.)

Thanks!!

 --jody (again)


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