Re: Why Use Anydata?

Might have known it would come from the evil empire.

Too bad Larry E isn't more likable.

Jared

On Friday 04 October 2002 15:28, Rachel Carmichael wrote:
> we are using a generic data model (and the procedures to access the
> data within the model) from a third party consultant who wrote all of
> his work against a SQLServer database. SQLServer, and Sybase, have a
> datatype called 'variant' which has the equivalent functionality of the
> anydata datatype, i.e. the ability to store different datatype data in
> the same column (for this model, because it IS generic, it is possible
> for the data to be stored in that column to be numeric, character or
> date)
>
> Since we did not have the time to redesign the model (which was the
> whole point of hiring this consultant) we needed to go with ANYDATA.
>
> We are rewriting his procedures into PL/SQL and that is where the error
> is occurring.
>
> I started the discussions on the list a few months back by asking about
> the datatype. I was, and am, opposed to using it for this. But I am
> neither the data modeler for this app nor the DBA and my opinions were
> ignored.
>
> Rachel
>
> --- "MacGregor, Ian A." <ian_at_SLAC.Stanford.EDU> wrote:
> > I remember when anydata was first discussed a few months ago. I
> > questioned how it could be part of proper database design; from what
> > domain would the anydata column draw its values? As I recall
> > everyone advised against its use, "It is a bad idea in Access and so
> > it is in Oracle." was the gist of the comments. One wag proposed
> > having two fields in the database, a sequence based primary key and
> > the anydata field. Apparently that person was too shy to rely on
> > rowid's :)
> >
> > Why did you decide to use anydata? How does it benefit to your
> > application? It strikes me as a bad idea, but I have not researched
> > it at length.
> >
> > Ian MacGregor
> > Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
> > ian_at_SLAC.Stanford.edu
>
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