Coalesce is standard SQL which Oracle has
only recently implemented - and yes, it can
be replaced by mixing nvl() and decode()
which is why Oracle didn't worry too much
about supplying it until v 9
--
Regards
Jonathan Lewis
http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk
Next Seminar dates:
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____Denver_______December 2/4
____England______January 21/23
The Co-operative Oracle Users' FAQ
http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/faq/ind_faq.html
Randi Wølner wrote in message ...
>I have been asked why one particular query will not run in our Oracle
>database. The query contains the word coalesce, used as if it was a
>function.
>
>I know how coalesce is used for defragmentation in Oracle, but have
never
>seen it used in a query before, and can not find any references to
this use
>in the documentation. By searching in newsgroup archives I have found
>references for SAS and MS SQL Server to this function, so my question
is:
>Is Coalesce a non-standard part of SQL used by some vendors, while
others
>(Oracle) choose not to implement it..? It seems like the use of it
can be
>replaced by a combination of NVL and DECODE.
>
>Thanks,
>Randi Wølner
>
>
>
Received on Thu Nov 28 2002 - 06:27:53 CST
