Re: Why can we not delete columns in tables?

From: Kevin Loney <kevin.loney_at_astramerck.com>
Date: 1997/09/30
Message-ID: <01bccdab$36d59540$aa9e02a7@LONEYK.astramerck.com>#1/1

Tim Eyres <tim.eyres_at_genedata.com> wrote in article <3430B2DE.28F1_at_genedata.com>...
> I understand now why, thank you. However not being able to delete a
> column during development before any production data is loaded can be a
> pain. If for example one is building a simple prototype as a proof of
> concept it would be nice to be able to have the ability to alter tables
> at will.
>

Exactly. Oracle's inability to perform this operation has created a market

for tools that perform this function. See Adhawk Spacer, from Quest Software (www.quests.com). That program generates all of the commands you need to execute in order to drop a column.

Just because something is difficult, that doesn't mean it's not needed. And just because something may require system resources, that doesn't mean users should be prevented from deciding whether to use it.

Kevin. Received on Tue Sep 30 1997 - 00:00:00 CDT