Re: Best database model for canvassing (and analysing) opinion

Sam Mason wrote:
>   SELECT course, date, COUNT(*)
>   FROM application_preferred_date
>   GROUP BY course, date;
>
> Hope that gives you some ideas!
>   

the problem as stated is more complex than that.  A student could, in 
theory, pick several different courses on the same dates on the 
assumption that he doesn't care what course on which date.   so if the 
optimizer/solver has counted this student for course1 on date1, he can't 
be counted for course2 on that same date, only on an alternate date he 
may have also specified.