RE: SQL searching in a field that has a series of codes

You could write a UDF that accepts the data in the field and the data to be
searched for.

Assuming the data is stored as an alpha you could parse the string yourself
using a pointer and a 2A field that is based on that pointer. The pointer is
then moved along in bytes of two (assuming they are single byte chars) and
just test each one if you get a match return true if not return false.

Neill

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of James Lampert
Sent: 15 January 2009 23:38
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: SQL searching in a field that has a series of codes

Postulate a field, containing a series of codes representing multiple
selections of a drop-down list box.

These codes are, for argument's sake, two-digit numbers, and let us
assume that the whole gamut from 00 to 99 is a valid value.

Obviously, if we separate the codes with some delimiter that isn't a
valid part of any code (e.g., a space), SQL can easily tell whether the
field contains any code we're looking for.

But now let us assume that we're being very stingy with space, and
stringing the codes together without any delimiters. In other words, if
our selections are 01, 02, 03, and 04, the field looks like "01020304"
in the file.

Searches for 01, 02, 03, and 04 would all hit, but so would searches for
10, 20, and 30. Is there a practical way to prevent the spurious hits,
other than to bite the bullet and allow space for delimiters?