Re: The MySQL/PHP pair

Bill H wrote:

> Kenneth:
>
> "Kenneth Downs" <firstinit.lastname_at_lastnameplusfam.net> wrote in message
> news:069bmc.sb3.ln_at_192.168.10.210...
>
> [snipped]
>

>> We are pretty much on the same page on all points except one.  The
>> specification of automated columns must not contain code, they must be
>> scalar.  The two working points to define scalar (or atomic) in this
>> context are:
>>
>> 1.  Must not require evaluation according to the rules of any programming
>> language.
>>
>> 2.  Must not require parsing by the engine built to use it.
>>
>> So if you have some automatic view builder working with a data
>> dictionary, the formula for Extended_Price cannot be the expression
>> "price * qty", it must be the scalar values "MULT","PRICE","QTY" with the
>> assumption that

>> columns are in the same table.  In the same vein, an aggregate for an

>> total might be "SUM","ORDER_LINES","LINE_FINAL_AMT".

Yes, the human-readable format of any column is part of its definition. I will admit however, that my own needs here are limited and therefore the my tool has very few capabilities here.

In terms of basic architecture, one can view column specifications as breaking into two areas: fundamental and human-interface. So the fundamental definition of tables in columns does not require ordering, in fact an explicit dependence upon the ordering of columns is a no-no. However, human beings like to see the columns of an address in a certain order, so we add column ordering as a human-interface feature. I tend to think of formatting in this way at the moment.

> Would you say that dbms filtered data doesn't
> count as a limitation here, since it is not the presentation layer nor
> evaluated by code.
>

not sure what you mean. Do you mean something like a view that is filtered? If so, you can use the same example as above, but you are providing comparisons and combinations of comparisons. I call it "Assembly SQL" in daily speech, but i think the official term is more like "Binary decision tree."

-- 
Kenneth Downs
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