Datamapper question - Searching multiple fields and/or tables

[eluser]WanWizard[/eluser]
If you follow the normalization procedures, you'll notice that you have multiple names per individual. With leads to the conclusion that this must be a many-to-one relation.

And I think you can safely assume that the first/oldest name would match the name on the birth certificate, assuming that you record the date of change (and probably the reason). If not you'll need another way of identifying 'the first'.

Alternatively you create two relations between name and individual. One is a one-to-one recording the name at birth, the other a one-to-many containing all names.

This construction is not a problem for Datamapper.