# Dopers! Help me with a nine-level naming hierarchy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408 "2010-04-08T14:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/1 "2010-04-08T14:51:34Z")
OK, so I’ve been tossed the task of coming up with a naming scheme for a nine-level hierarchy. The process is a series of database directories that organize documents. The bottom level will be the document name itself. But I have to come up with something that is fairly techy/documenty and so forth. I already pitched choosing something completely off-the-cuff but memorable so we’re stuck with something mundane that at least has to have something to do with documents and such. What say ye, Dopers? Can you help? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/2 "2010-04-08T15:26:53Z")
I don’t envy that job–I’ve struggled with naming problems for even smaller hierarchies. Can you give us an idea of what the documents are? I’m thinking that something mnemonic would be useful, with the first letter of each level spelling out a memorable nine-letter word. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/3 "2010-04-08T15:43:25Z")
Characters --\> Words --\> Sentences --\> Paragraphs --\> Pages --\> Chapters --\> Books --\> Shelves --\> Stacks (or BookCases) ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/4 "2010-04-08T16:10:35Z")
I’m stuck at ‘Database Directories’ to begin with. All of our databases are on a single ‘directory’ (well, actually, spread across many disks in arrays). It would be meaningless to even try to spout off a possible solution without knowing about the actual data and documents, but navigating through 9 levels of directories (and I’m guessing there will be multiple sub-directories under them) seems like sheer, carpal-tunnel hell to me. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/5 "2010-04-08T16:13:49Z")
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/6 "2010-04-08T17:17:55Z")
Seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, princedoms, powers, virtues, archangels, and angels? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/7 "2010-04-08T17:20:45Z")
Limbo, lust, gluttony, avarice, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud and betrayal? ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/8 "2010-04-08T17:26:26Z")
> [@Oni no Maggie](#): > > Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto? We think alike, that’s what I thought of too. I like AHunter3’s idea the best so far. Then I thought: Life, Domain, Kingdon, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus & Species, but I don’t remember them unless I look them up. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/9 "2010-04-08T17:30:39Z")
Pitcher, Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop, Right Field, Center Field, Left Field. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/10 "2010-04-08T17:56:23Z")
World, Continent, Country, Province, Municipality, Street, Building, Apartment, Room? Thgis one can be connected to the Bookshelf hierarchy at the small end and the Planet hierarchy at the large end if you need more levels. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/11 "2010-04-08T17:59:42Z")
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Tribe, Genus, Species would be another hierarchy for life forms. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/12 "2010-04-08T18:37:39Z")
OK, more info. If we’re going with a metaphor thing it should run around either explosives or document management stuff. How 'bout it? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/13 "2010-04-08T19:11:31Z")
I would go with something totally unoriginal but obvious, such as Level\_A, Level\_B, Level\_C, Level\_D, Level\_E, Level\_F, Level\_G… or Level\_1, Level\_2, Level\_3, Level\_4, Level\_5, Level\_6 … When I compare Level\_2 to Level\_4 I can immediately tell which level is the “higher” level. If I compare “Class” to “Family” (to take the biological proposal) or “Shelves” to “Stacks” (to take the book example) I have to stop and think for a second. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/14 "2010-04-08T19:43:37Z")
stone, copper, bronze, iron, steel, industrial, nuclear, space, information ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/15 "2010-04-08T19:51:40Z")
spark, smoke, flame, fire, combustion, burn, blaze, conflagration, inferno fuse, gunpowder, bullet, revolver, rifle, cannon, howitzer, missile, warhead ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/16 "2010-04-08T19:57:07Z")
Famous library, wing, floor, room, row, bookcase, shelf, book, and character? Ex: Alexandria, North Wing, Third Floor, Room 5, Bookcase G, Third Shelf, Necronomicon, and C’thul- Okay, maybe a different character. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/17 "2010-04-08T19:59:23Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > OK, more info. If we’re going with a metaphor thing it should run around either explosives or document management stuff. > > How 'bout it? Explosive power Explosive speed Explosive growth Explosive personality Explosive violence Explosive information Explosive sound Explosive device Explosive vomiting Explosive diarrhea ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/18 "2010-04-08T20:14:44Z")
Who’s your favorite baseball team? Use the names from the lineup for opening day. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/19 "2010-04-09T12:28:47Z")
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408/20 "2010-04-09T12:48:06Z")
How about: DrNo-\>FromRussiaWithLove-\>Goldfinger-\>Thunderball-\>YouOnlyLiveTwice-\>OHMSS-\>DiamondsAreForever-\>Live&LetDie-\>ManWithTheGoldenGun As long as you like James Bond films (and everyone who matters does! :D) then it’s perfectly logical. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-help-me-with-a-nine-level-naming-hierarchy/535408.md?page=2)