RE: Update a column in a table from a flat file

Vern
I have to agree with you.
As far as SQL is concerned, a file is a file is a file.
But many people come from many different backgrounds and a newbie (or even
a not-so-newbie) trying to use and learn SQL will use the phrases that
he/she understands and uses. I don't mind asking questions to obtain some
further understanding of the original question, after all there's no such
thing as a stupid question.



Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 02/13/2008 01:29:22 PM:

Alan

You know all this, I'm just piggy-backing on your post.

If "flat file" means a one-field record, substr(field, 5, 10) works
- the contents starting at position 5 for 10 characters.

If a "non-keyed file", no different from any other physical file.

I really wish we'd stop talking about flat files anymore - that term
is pretty meaningless, seems to me, in this day and age. A PF is a
PF is a table is a table.

HTH
Vern

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Alan Shore

John,
Without sounding sarcastic, YOU tell the system how to update based

upon

whatever match conditions apply.
When you said "flat" file, do you mean :-
a non-keyed file?
a file with one field in the record?


Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 02/13/2008 10:46:30 AM:

I am not at all proficient in SQL. I was not aware that SQL could

update

a

table, based on a flat file. How would SQL know where the values

where

in the

flat file?

John McKee

Quoting "John Arnold (MFS)" :

For the column where you want the new value use,

Case when mrc = yyy then xxx end as id

In your select statement that creates the flat file.


John Arnold
(301) 354-2939


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John McKee
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:34 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Update a column in a table from a flat file

My earlier question has been resolved. Can't skip a key field in a
database and get decent performance.

Now, I wondering:

Run the Crystal report. Export the rsssults to a flat file. First
field would be a complete primary key to the MS-SQL database. Third

field would be the new value for a single specified field.

One possibility would be to modify the text file to read like this:

update clinical set id= xxx where mrc=yyy

The above line would be modified so that a text file would have

several

thousand individual update commands. The file would be input to a
command line program, name eludes me for the moment.

Is there a way to do all the updates with a single command?

John McKee

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