I'm going to try very hard to unremember (<G>) anything about ANY just
so I can tell them they can't get there from here.
Rachel
- Tim Gorman <Tim_at_SageLogix.com> wrote:
> Rachel,
>
> This "variant" datatype sounds a lot like the "union" data structure
> from
> "C" language, which closely resembled a "struct" (i.e. record) but
> all of
> the "fields" overlap the same memory address. In other words, it was
> a
> mechanism for type re-casting. In the grand tradition of robust
> programming
> languages, there are about a dozen and a half ways to do this in "C",
> and
> the "union" structure is one of the less popular. Luckily, it is
> difficult
> to use for any other purpose...
>
> Not so with what you're describing. Sounds like a feature which is
> ripe for
> all kinds of abuse. I can just imagine entire tables populated with
> columns
> of type VARIANT by some designer touting "flexibility" as a mantra.
> Fortunately, Oracle developers can use the RAW datatype in the same
> fashion,
> and it is interesting to note (but perhaps not coincidental) that
> most "C"
> programmers tend to favor a similar mechanism (i.e. "void" pointers)
> for
> type re-casting too. In other words, be assured that VARIANT is not
> the
> only way to get the job done, and might prove unpopular anyway...
>
> Just my $0.02...
>
> -Tim
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 11:08 AM
>
>
> > Okay, I'm working on what feels like 30 new projects all at once
> and I
> > WILL be RTFM'ing as soon as I can get more than 5 minutes out of
> > meetings but....
> >
> >
> > first: has anyone heard of any problems with 64-bit Oracle on a
> > Solaris 64-bit OS?
> >
> > second (and this one confuses me a bit)... I've been asked if
> Oracle9i
> > supports a "variant" datatype -- they are not familiar with oracle
> but
> > are familiar with SQL Server and say that there is a datatype
> called
> > "variant" there where you can basically overload the column with
> > whatever datatype you want (string, number, date) and the database
> > knows what type of data it is storing within the column. They
> referred
> > me to C++ and Java, neither of which I know.
> >
> > Can anyone point in the right direction to start researching this?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Rachel
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes
> > http://autos.yahoo.com
> > --
> > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
> > --
> > Author: Rachel Carmichael
> > INET: wisernet100_at_yahoo.com
> >
> > Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051
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> Lists
> >
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> --
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> --
> Author: Tim Gorman
> INET: Tim_at_SageLogix.com
>
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Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes
http://autos.yahoo.com
--
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
--
Author: Rachel Carmichael
INET: wisernet100_at_yahoo.com
Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051
San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
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Received on Wed Jul 17 2002 - 15:51:37 CDT