Re: Why Not Allow Temp Tables?

From: Pete Cresswell <x_at_y.z>
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 22:52:35 GMT
Message-ID: <ufgsmvkm6uf82it1tc7v1timpddr3tio0p@4ax.com>

RE/
>Are they making the distinction between dynamically-created temporary tables
>(almost universally wrong) or global temporary tables created only once (not
>often needed, but considerably less evil).

The situation is that of creating reports. Bond trading application, many desks, many users at each desk, all at each other's throats, nobody wants to wait for the next guy - especially if they're on a competing desk.

The first choice offered was temporary tables. Applealing because it puts each user in their own little world. If a hundred users try to run reports at the same time, performance will degrade - but everybody waits - nobody goes to the head of the line at the expense of others - everybody has the perception that their reports are being run *now*, albeit sometimes slowly.

There's a second choice involving global tables, but part of the situation is that many people may choose to run reports that use the same suite of data at nearly the same times - yet each group of reports needs to be as "realtime" as possible. My current understanding of the global table option is that it will require locking out everybody except one user at a time - something about inserting into a temp table wiping pre-existing data - but I know nothing of P-SQL or Oracle.

PeteCresswell Received on Mon Sep 22 2003 - 17:52:35 CDT