# Basic Active record help **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [November 7, 2006, 10:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-active-record-help/74836 "2006-11-07T10:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1

**Author:** ![rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f9ae1b/32.png) [@rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rushabh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 10:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-active-record-help/74836/1 "2006-11-07T10:58:38Z")

Hi all, I am using Active record against a legacy schema (and I am a rails newbie). I am having trouble in getting the “belongs\_to” and “has\_many” relationships to work. I have the following 2 tables in the schema: PATIENT: PATIENT\_ID (PK) … ELIGIBILITY\_INFORMATION: ELIGIBILITY\_ID (PK) PATIENT\_ID (FK) … I have defined the following 2 classes: class Patient \< ActiveRecord::Base self.primary\_key = “PATIENT\_ID” self.table\_name = “PATIENT” has\_many :eligibilities, :foreign\_key =\> “PATIENT\_ID” end class Eligibility \< ActiveRecord::Base self.primary\_key = “ELIGIBILITY\_ID” self.table\_name = “ELIGIBILITY\_INFORMATION” belongs\_to :patient end Here is my console output: > > p = Patient.find(‘1’) > > … > > > p.eligibilities > > [] In the DB eligibility\_information table has several eligibility records with PATIENT\_ID = ‘1’. Why is the p.eligibilities collection empty then? How do i correct this? It looks like I am missing something basic here. Please help … Thanks, Rushabh ---

has\_many :eligibilities, :foreign\_key =\> “PATIENT\_ID” shouldn’t that be: has\_many :eligibilities, :foreign\_key =\> “ELIGIBILITY\_ID” – Andrew S. ---

Andrew S. wrote: > has\_many :eligibilities, :foreign\_key =\> “PATIENT\_ID” > > shouldn’t that be: > > has\_many :eligibilities, :foreign\_key =\> “ELIGIBILITY\_ID” I dont think that is correct. PATIENT is the parent table. And so PATIENT\_ID would be the foreign key in the ELIGIBILITY\_INFORMATION table. ---

**Author:** ![rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f9ae1b/32.png) [@rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rushabh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-active-record-help/74836/4 "2006-11-07T10:59:00Z")

> has\_many :eligibility Andrew, this did not work ☹ ---

**Author:** ![rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f9ae1b/32.png) [@rushabh](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rushabh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/basic-active-record-help/74836/5 "2006-11-07T10:59:58Z")

On 11/3/06, Rushabh [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > has\_many :eligibility > > Andrew, this did not work ☹ Sorry to hear that, getting the same error? – Andrew S. ---

> I dont think that is correct. PATIENT is the parent table. And so > PATIENT\_ID would be the foreign key in the ELIGIBILITY\_INFORMATION > table. Ooops. You’re right. Sorry about that… has\_many :eligibility – Andrew S.