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Re: SQL Serious Challenge # 1 - Probably Not Much Fun

From: Michel Cadot <micadot{at}altern{dot}org>
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 10:55:41 +0100
Message-ID: <4052da6a$0$281$636a15ce@news.free.fr>

"Howard J. Rogers" <hjr_at_dizwell.com> a écrit dans le message de news:40520ee0$0$3957$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au...
> Daniel's low-flying one dimensional birds has got me thinking about how
> useful SQL can get.
>
> Suppose a table that contains just words up to, say, 8 characters in length,
> minimum length 4. The words could be anything, but let's just suppose they
> are composer's name. Hence "BACH" is acceptable, "BRITTEN" is almost
> perfect, and "STRAVINSKY" is bloody awful and not allowed.
>
> OK. Here's the challenge. What would the SQL look like to select these words
> at random from the table, and display them randomly packed with other
> letters, in a 15 x 15 word grid, with the original words being read from
> left OR right (you know, like in one of those word square games?). One word
> per line, but not every line should have a word (such lines to have all 15
> characters displayed merely at random, therefore).
>
> Something like (without doing the entire 15 x 15 thing!!):
>
> XFEPBACHUILEEWB
> BACLNETTIRBORFG
> etc etc
>
> Even harder challenge, I think: what would the SQL look like that allows the
> randomly selected words to be read left, right *and up and down* within the
> 15 x 15 word square. For example:
>
> TFEPBBDHUILEDSB
> IFEPABHHUXLVOWE
> RFEPCBRCUIPGEQE
> BFEPHBHEUIYAEWT
>
> Strictly no Java.

PL/SQL allowed?

>
> Regards
> HJR
>
>
Received on Sat Mar 13 2004 - 03:55:41 CST

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