Re: Case insensitive queries

From: Galen Boyer <galenboyer_at_hotpop.com>
Date: 28 Nov 2003 19:32:17 -0600
Message-ID: <uhe0o9d3j.fsf@standardandpoors.com>

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003, forbrich_at_yahoo.net wrote:
> Galen Boyer wrote:

>> 
>> On Sun, 23 Nov 2003, forbrich_at_yahoo.net wrote:
>> 
>> > (Seems to me the requirement for case-insensitivity would be
>> > a generated by programmer laziness or insufficient user
>> > training - not uncommon these days.)
>> 
>> Why is it that when Oracle has an obvious limitation, people
>> respond like this?  The web is pretty much a case-insensitive
>> world.  Oracle crows about being all "webified" but it doesn't
>> offer this simple feature. Sure, the data is case-sensitive,
>> but it would be damn nice for the database to allow the
>> developer the ability to turn it off or on based on query
>> needs.

>
> Am I missing something obvious here?
>
> Is there something here that can't be accomplished by creating
> a view on the underlying case-sensitive table(s), having a
> 'to_upper()' for the columns in question in the view, and
> encouraging the app developer to do an implicit 'to_upper()' on
> the request?

No, you aren't missing something obvious. Having to do that is a workaround for the limitation in Oracle. You also ask all maintenance/dba crews to add more unneeded care to their plate.

> Even for update situations, an inline view based on the above
> view should manage to handle most situations, shouldn't it?

Hm... Why should one have to ask/answer this question?

> If I am missing something, I am perfectly willing to retract my
> opinion. The opinion is based on many developers I have met
> not being able or willing to learn the underlying capability of
> the RDBMS (not just Oracle), and therefore doing things very
> stupidly - eg: creating a PL/SQL or T-SQL loop when a simple,
> properly projected, select would do the trick.

Well, then those developers need to find something else to do. The workaround is well-known and is pretty cool from my development point of view, but, whether I like to implement nifty things under the covers or not doesn't get past the fact that this is a limitation.

Why are people so damn ready to defend Oracle, even when it has an obvious limitation? I love alot of things about Oracle, but this is a shortcoming, no matter how it is sliced.

-- 
Galen Boyer

Received on Fri Nov 28 2003 - 19:32:17 CST