Re: Specify exact number in where clause list

Steve Sorden <steve_at_sorden.com> wrote in message news:785857.0202051646.5f77f8e4_at_posting.google.com...
> Is there a way to specify an exact number of any combination in a
> list?
>
> For example I would like to say something like:
>
> select * from table_name
> where match_item in ('one','two','three','four');
>
> but I want to be able to say, "Where any three of the four are
> matched."
> or "Where any two of the four are matched."
>
> The key is that I have to be able to specify exactly how many matches;
> no more, no less.

Just an idea, I dont know if it's suitable for your needs but...

Maybee you could write a function that takes the coulmns and matching criteria as arguments and return the number of matches ?

Select * from table_name
where 3 = matchfunction ( table_name.c1, 'one',

                                             table_name.c2,'two',
                                             etc.. )

Not really suited for ad-hoc queries though.

--
Jon Håvard Grøtterud