Structured Query ReportWriter and Oracle

From: Paul M. Mickel <mickel_at_OES.ORST.EDU>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1992 20:17:48 GMT
Message-ID: <Buzxpp.Gn6_at_news.orst.edu>

The Senario:

Using Oracle Version 6 on a Sequent Symmetry running PTX/DYNIX. The Structured Query ReportWriter version is 2.14. The reason we are not using the SQL*ReportWriter is that is doesn't support modular programming as well, which is a requirement for our projects here at Teledyne Wah Chang of Albany.

The Problem:

We want to be able to pull apart a datetime field inside of the Strcutured Query ReportWriter (SQR), extracting the date and time parts as different entities, since many of the databases we are implementing use time-depedent information for processing of production information. Our problem arises from the "to_char" function in SQR. The following code is an example of SQR using this function, which under Oracle, *should* act as Oracle's "to_char" function:

Begin-Select
to_char((DATE_TIME),'DD-MON-YY HH24:MI')

	:
	: 

End-Select

Under sqlplus, this function works fine. However, when we implement this in SQR, it fails utterly, returning no data from the database we are using. The documentation for SQR states that the "to_char" function converts a number to a string, but is not specific as to whether SQR has the ability to figure out the context of the fuction and use Oralce's "to_char" function inside the Select block like the one above, or not. Thus my questions:

0. How does SQR differentiate between database functions and SQR function

   having the same name, etc? Or does it at all??

1. How does SQR deal with Oracle's datetime datatype?
2. What have other people inplemented to get around similar problems of this type??

We have consulted all personnel on site that might know the answer and have drawn a blank, as well as the vendor. Any help will be appreciated. As always, I will summarize all responses I receive, so please send email to save bandwith. My email address in mickel_at_oes.orst.edu.

Thanks in advance.

-pmm

--

Paul M. Mickel			  	   Internet:mickel_at_oes.orst.edu
Sysadmin, Oregon Extension Service	   Corvallis, OR 97331

Database Programmer, Teledyne Wah Chang Albany, OR Received on Tue Sep 22 1992 - 22:17:48 CEST