Re: Find most recent rows, generically?

There are sequences in Oracle and you could store them as integers, numbers, strings, but there is not a column type of identity. That is you cannot look at the column type and determine that it is a sequence. Sequences are nice because if I have a table with a bunch of child tables I can insert a record in the parent and then use that value (mySequence.currentval ) for the related keys in the child tables.

If you need to know what the most recent rows are I think a date column is a much better use. Then you could know when. You might be interested in how many rows are generated per day which a sequence won't tell you. Jim

"DL" <donlcs_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message news:604bb90c.0202172222.a375f10_at_posting.google.com...
> Thanks for the response, Jim, let me re-phrase my question, with MS
> SQL Server, when I add a column and define it as integer, identity,
> later I can find out if that column is of data type int etc., what's
> Oracle's equivalent of "Identity" if any? and if yes, which system
> table do I go to determine it? Thanks.
>
> DL
>
> "Jim Kennedy" <kennedy-family_at_attbi.com> wrote in message
 news:<9qhb8.431$Ot2.153407_at_sccrnsc01>...
> > You can't. If it is important to know if it was recent then you need a
> > column to model that attribute.
> > Jim
> > "DL" <donlcs_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message
> > news:604bb90c.0202150930.49ef0fc5_at_posting.google.com...
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > First of all, I thank those who have been very helpful in the past.
> > > How to find most recent rows, say, 10, (for insert and update
> > > transactions), generically?
> > >
> > > For insert:
> > > Well, one can find PK column of a given table, suppose, single column,
> > > then determine data type of that column, if it is of integer or
> > > similar type data,
> > > 1(a) how would one know that it uses "identity" attribute for it
> > > (thus, incremental)?
> > > 1(b) and if it does not, how to proceed?
> > > 2, what if it is of random alphnumeric?
> > > 3, what if it is of composite keys?
> > >
> > > For update:
> > > ???
> > >
> > > * Question category 1 is most important to me for now.
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> > >
> > > DL
Received on Tue Feb 19 2002 - 01:10:14 CET