Maybe the easiest way to visualize this is to create a paper form for a sample. You'd have the record number, the unique identifier, a section that had check boxes for each type of mineral (mineral table)& percentage (a numeric entry), a section with check boxes for the features (another table), a section for the quantifiable features (another table), a text area for free form entry of non-quantifiable features, a rock type, you can create multiple boxes for rock type 1, rock type 2 etc, or create a table that lists rock types as single type or composite names rock type 1 & rock type 2 - it depends on how you want to search the database, a section for drill hole number, and a section for drill hole quadrant (I assume one drill hole per sample?).
After you know what your report/form looks like, perhaps there are ways to have the mineral types generate the rock types. The best way I found to design a database is to sit down and think about how you would like to query the database.
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Date: 2012-04-03 06:02 pm (UTC)a section for the quantifiable features (another table), a text area for free form entry of non-quantifiable features, a rock type, you can create multiple boxes for rock type 1, rock type 2 etc, or create a table that lists rock types as single type or composite names rock type 1 & rock type 2 - it depends on how you want to search the database, a section for drill hole number, and a section for drill hole quadrant (I assume one drill hole per sample?).
After you know what your report/form looks like, perhaps there are ways to have the mineral types generate the rock types. The best way I found to design a database is to sit down and think about how you would like to query the database.