Re: Peculiar results from a simple looking query.

"Turkbear" <john.g_at_dot.spamfree.com> wrote in message news:1109341827.35efa72056ec7eba407c1bd950bb5643_at_teranews...
> "Mark C. Stock" <mcstockX_at_Xenquery .com> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Pedro Lopes" <pedro.lopes_at_netvisao.pt> wrote in message
>>news:newscache$xoyfci$yyb$1_at_newsfront4.netvisao.pt...
>>> Hi,
>>> Why don't you stop hunting bugs and
>>> focus on the resolution of the business problems
>>> the simplest way possible ?
>>>
>>> Every piece of software have bugs. Live with it !
>>> And if this is really a problem for you (if it's stopping
>>> you from doing your work) open a TAR on metalink.
>>>
>>>
>>> :)
>>>
>>> pedro
>>>
>>nice addition, pedro!
>>
>>yes, the OP should open a TAR. but I for one appreciate knowing that there
>>is a problem with the syntax that he's trying and would welcome more
>>'heads-up' like this. plus, i'm quite sure we are all aware that oracle
>>support isn't always the best at trying out alleged bugs, so i don't think
>>it's too bad an idea to post a test case here. and, as an instructor and
>>consultant, i certainly want to increase my knowledge of what things don't
>>quite work, whether or not its a feature or syntax that i generally use
>>
>>all in all, the OP's issue was not really all that different from your
>>recent attempts to obfuscate number columns -- from which we all learned
>>that 10g release 2 will have it built in
>>
>>++ mcs
>>
>
>
> Let's reexamine what CAST does in the context of a query:
>
> The Conversion requested by the CAST statement is in effect throughout the
> life of that query and applies to that affected
> column however many times after the cast it is referenced. In effect you
> have created a virtual field named the same as the
> original, uncasted, one and the query is accessing that virtual one -
> hence 2 characters long, like it was redefined.
>
>
>

That is the observed behavior, but where is that documented? the docs (SQL Reference, function description) use the same description for CAST behavior as for TO_DATE, TO_CHAR, and TO_ETC..., behavior which to not create virtual columns. What am I overlooking? Where is the exact scope of the CAST *function* documented?

++ mcs Received on Fri Feb 25 2005 - 08:48:22 CST