Re: [Help] How to sort like this with SQL?

Re: [Help] How to sort like this with SQL?  Mark,

 The ordering requirement in this problem seems to imply that the column in  question is a compound key in a single column, i.e., it is not in first  normal form. If so, issues like this would clearly be simplified if two  numeric columns were used (or, if a true n-level hierarchy, use  "traditional" relational representation for that).

 Cho, if that's not an option, what is the domain for the part to the left  of the decimal point? If it can be more than one positions, e.g., "11.1",  this could create problems for the solution which orders by length, then  value.

 Regards,

• Paul Dong

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  Date: 1/22/96 7:58 AM To: Paul Dong From: saltzman From: saltzman_at_infosys.uwex.edu Date: Mon, Jan 22, 1996 7:58 AM Subject: Re: [Help] How to sort like this with SQL? To: Dong, Paul; list., ORACLE dm
  > I don't understand why you would want the value that falls between
  > 1.1 and 1.2 (1.11) to be sorted after 1.5.
  

 You are interperting these as points on the number line, but  sometimes people use this notation to reflect sequences. So 1.11  is the 11th item rather than a number between 1.1 and 1.2.

 HTH  Mark Saltzman, Assistant Director
 Information Systems, University of Wisconsin-Extension  432 North Lake Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1498  TEL: 608.263.3084 / FAX: 608.262.2343 Received on Mon Jan 22 1996 - 11:13:21 CST