Re: how to update portion of the varchar type data

From: <ctcgag_at_hotmail.com>
Date: 03 Dec 2002 20:48:18 GMT
Message-ID: <20021203154818.650$Fz@newsreader.com>

hkgirlygirl_at_aol.com (Hkgirlygirl) wrote:

>

> One of the project requirements that I am designing require the database
> to keep track of, example, quantity of
> different item numbers, however, the exact number
> of item numbers is unknown , so to avoid keep asking our DBA
> to add columns, I think of using a varchar type field and keep all
> different items.
> e.g column 1-3 of varchar(30) stores item 1 data, column 4-6 stores item
> 2 data etc etc..

Your root problem is that someone gave you an atomic clock, and you are trying to use that atomic clock as the pendulum weight with which to build a crude grandfather clock.

Don't use Oracle as a programming language which which to write your own DBMS, just use Oracle as a DBMS.

You need a table with 3 columns, id (as is), item_number, and quantity. id and item_number are jointly the primary key.

You may also need a table with just id, so that you know a certain id exists even if you have no iventory for it.

But this is just a crude guess based on your desciption.

Xho

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Received on Tue Dec 03 2002 - 14:48:18 CST