Step-by-step explanation:
Designing a database with the last name of a consultant as a key functionality can introduce potential problems, such as:
1. **Uniqueness and Conflicts**: If you use last names as the primary identifier, you may encounter issues with duplicate last names, which can make it challenging to distinguish between consultants with the same last name.
2. **Data Quality**: Last names can vary in spelling or format, leading to data quality problems. For example, "Smith" and "Smyth" could refer to the same last name but be stored differently in the database.
3. **Privacy Concerns**: Storing sensitive information like last names may raise privacy concerns, especially in contexts where data protection regulations, like GDPR, apply. You'll need to ensure proper security measures and data anonymization.
4. **Internationalization**: Last names vary significantly across cultures. What might be a last name in one culture could be part of a full name in another. Designing for internationalization can be complex.
5. **Performance**: If the database becomes large, searching for consultants by last name may become slow if not optimized correctly.
6. **Changing Last Names**: People change their last names for various reasons, such as marriage or legal changes. Handling such updates in the database can be complex.
To mitigate these potential problems, consider using a unique identifier (e.g., consultant ID) alongside last names, implementing data validation and normalization, and carefully considering your database schema based on the specific needs and constraints of your application.