Faster DB Setup

1 table x 100,000 records or 100 tables x 1,000 records?

[dougmcc1]

Which database setup would be faster to run insert/select/update queries on - 1 table with hundreds of thousands of records, or hundreds of tables with thousands of records (connected by an id)?

[coopster]

... and the answer is ...

it really depends on your hardware/software/database structure and how you intend to use the data, dougmcc1. I tend to normalize all data whenever possible which would mean multiple tables joined by primary/foreign keys. Any RDMS worth it's salt will be able to handle the load.

[dougmcc1]

Thanks coop. I wouldn't mind reading more about why it depends on the setup and how I use the data, so I can make a better decision on which choice I should go with so any other sources you or anyone else can point me to would be great. Not sure what to search on as a keyword for this...