products table?

["lance e. leonard" <lancel@lwm.com>]

I am attempting to configure a catalog using minivend 3.11.  Is it
necessary to use a products table?  I have a rather complicated catalog
consisting of approximately 9 tables, none of which are a specific products
table.  In order to buy a product, a selection has to be made from all nine
tables, building the product as you go.  This is different from attributes
(color, size, etc) because there is not a specific product, there is a set
of products put together as one product.  Let me explain...

Take the simple demo, selling art.  If the art was sold framed, and you
could not buy a piece of art unframed, what is the product, the frame or
the art, and what becomes your product table, a joined view of all tables?
We then factor in aspect ratios, sizes, and prices, taking the toll up a
bit.  If I want to buy an 11x14 Renoir in a Gold-leafed elegant frame, what
is my product that gets pulled from the product table?

So, back to my original question.  Does minivend require a "products"
table, or can i use those arbitrary tables as my main product table?

Lance E. Leonard
LiveWire Marketing
lancel@lwm.com