[SOLVED] Adding table to existing forum DB - potential problems?

[crazytigger]

Sirs, We have an existing SQL database containing a phpbb forum. It now has reasonably large user base and is the main tool our members have to communicate with each other - it is mission critical. I am the main administrator.

 

Our website has a form for people to fill out and at the moment it emails the contents to a moderator and they put the data in a DB on their machine.

 

I recently wrote a script to export the form data directly to an SQL DB which i have tested on my home server.

 

I find relational databases a bit confusing so I need to know if i can add a new table "contacts" to the existing forum database keeping it separate from the forum proper.. as in, i dont want any values contained in the new "contacts" table to interfere in any way with the forum data.

 

Our server provider is sympathetic to our cause and donates the bandwidth, i dont know how keen they would be to provide us with a further SQL database for this purpose and im not sure it is necessary.

 

Thank you kindly.

[veridicus]

As long as your table name is new (i.e. not one which is ever used directly by the forum) then it should never be touched by the forum software.  Give it a very unique name that forum software would never use so if you upgrade you won't have any table name conflict.

[crazytigger]

Sir, many thanks for your reply. Indeed the forum prefixes all its tables with phpbb_ i will take your advice and call it something very unique as well as not including this prefix just in case.

 

You guys have been so helpful to me over the last week it is greatly appreciated.

 

Kind regards.

 

CT