RE: Sorting "character" numbers

What will this do to indexing by this field?  If someone searches for
invoice 100, they will either have to enter bbbbbb100 or I would have to
search with a LIKE keyword cause performance to go down the tubes.

Brad

> -----Original Message-----
> From: alan shore [mailto:SHOREA@dime.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 2:45 PM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: Sorting "character" numbers
> 
> 
> I am assuming (we all know what assume is made from - ASS of 
> U and ME) any way --- I am assuming that the DB character 
> field is created LEFT justified, for example invoice number 
> 900 is in positions 1,2,3
> and invoice 1101 is in positions 1,2,3,4 
> hence the sort problem. 
> Can the DB be changed so that the invoice number is right 
> justified, this means that invoice 900 is now space900 taking 
> positions 1,2,3,4
> 
> 
> >>> "Stone, Brad V (TC)" <bvstone@taylorcorp.com> 06/06 2:51 PM >>>
> I'm sure someone has run across this before.
> 
> We have a DB that contains a character field which holds an 
> invoice number.
> Because it can be used for many of our companies, we had to make it
> character because some of our companies use character invoice numbers.
> 
> Anyhow, the plants that use numeric numbers get the number stripped of
> leading zeros (this is done automatically by the replication 
> tool we use).
> So, it makes the number sort all funky.  (ie 900 is greater 
> than 1101.)
> 
> Is there any way, without having to leave on leading zeros, 
> to get them to
> sort correctly?  Probably not, but with the minds on the list 
> I wouldn't be
> surprised.  ;)
> 
> Brad
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