Re: update, select and join in one statement ?

Gene Hubert <ghubert_at_netpath.net> wrote in message news:177EC3699B1A3DA2.78FED0CBFF0E9B3F.585D5730F40FB5C2_at_lp.airnews.net...
> On Tue, 31 Aug 1999 18:06:57 GMT, tkyte_at_us.oracle.com (Thomas Kyte)
> wrote:
>
> >A copy of this was sent to ghubert_at_netpath.net (Gene Hubert)
> >(if that email address didn't require changing)
> >On Tue, 31 Aug 1999 03:23:52 GMT, you wrote:
> >
> >>On Mon, 30 Aug 1999 16:33:58 GMT, tkyte_at_us.oracle.com (Thomas Kyte)
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>Well, that's a new one on me. Very nifty trick there Thomas. Much
> >>cleaner than adding an exists clause.
> >>
> >>I'm really glad to pick up a handy technique like this but I have to
> >>ask: How is anybody supposed to deduce something really useful like
> >>this from the documentation provided for the update statement? I
> >
> >from the 7.3 manual I deduced it quite easily actually.....
>
> discussing the following example:
> -----------------------------
> tkyte_at_8.0> update
> 2 ( select table1.columna t1a, table2.columna t2a
> 3 from table1, table2
> 4 where table1.columnb = table2.columnb )
> 5 set t1a = t2a
> 6 /
> ---------------------------
>
> Well yes, it's certainly possible to deduce from the docs. I think
> you'd agree it's less obvious in the 8.1.5 docs where several layers
> of complexity have been added to the update statement. I was just
> looking at the pdf version. Can you see someone who is relatively new
> to Oracle going to the 8.1.5 docs and figuring this out? I can't.

This feature is documented in Oracle 7.2, though it is available in Oracle 7.1.x. You can find this feature in Oracle7 Server SQL Reference, "UPDATE command", but no sample code (even in Oracle8i version). So, only minorities know this feature.

IMO, the Oracle's new features are too much to learn, but the example codes in the manual are too few. Received on Thu Sep 02 1999 - 19:00:07 CDT