At my current workplace there is a common pattern in database design: they don't use foreign keys but they list all corresponding ids in a column like this:some_tableid  name image_ids1   a    1,2,32   b    4,6,7imagesid url1  ...2  ......They store self references in a same manner:some_tableid  name  some_table_id1   a     2,32   b     1,3...They encourage me to use this pattern but it does not feel right for me. I would never design a database like that. I have some counter arguments against it:What if some day I would add some arbitrary data to a self reference? Using this model I would not be able to.It does not ensure referential integrity. I can easily add non-existent ids which will lead to problemsSearching through strings is not fast eitherI need to justify my complaints so my question is:What persuasive counter-arguments can you come up with against this hacky design approach?
Self reference using a new table vs concatenated list of ids
database design;mysql