Creating tables dynamically at runtime

Question

Is creating a table dynamically at runtime based on a user\'s interactions a good or bad thing for a web-app? (I\'m talking java, but question probably applies to more).

Answer 1

I am guessing you are doing something like this:

table_username(
id, 
userfield1, 
userfield2, 
ect...
)

One alternative would be to create a static table like so:

table_userfields(
id
userid
fieldname
fieldvalue
)

Only problem is that field value would probably have to be a large varchar.

But your approach is not wrong, it depends on your especific needs.