> When I read this quote, I actually was able to recognize countless examples in the past of this. I once worked on a project where we spent quite a while optim

> When I read this quote, I actually was able to recognize countless examples in the past of this. I once worked on a project where we spent quite a while optimizing complex algorithms, only to realize that by restructuring our data, we could eliminate entire classes of problems. We replaced a 500-line function with a 50-line function and a well-designed data structure. Not only was the new code faster, but it was also much easier to understand and maintain. (Of course, then the problem also shifted “down the stack” to where the majority of toil was in restructuring existing data.) This is really a preference, then. I encountered almost this exact sort of problem in my last project. I wanted a simpler database design and more complex querying/code, they wanted a significantly more complex database design that was harder to understand (for everyone but the guy who spent all of one weekend designing it) but simpler querying/code (that was also more plentiful as a result). The question really is, where do you prefer your complexity to go? Do you want to lean on the database, or your code? Simple example, you have a portfolio of stock that constantly changes in composition and value over time. Do you: 1) only store the current model of the portfolio in a "portfolios" table and the current prices of stocks in a "stock_prices" table and use a separate history table for both (with stored procedure triggers to automatically copy all changes to it) to store all previous versions that can then be queried separately if needed, OR 2) store each change in both quantity and price across multiple tables, no separation of what is "current" vs. what is "historical" other than the relationships that are (properly, hypothetically) set up via an "intent_versions" table at the top level, requiring a bunch of joins to actually determine the state of the portfolio both now and at any point in the past? I opted for the former because I have no fear of complex queries, the center of thought-mass of the team leaned towards the latter. WWYD?