An SQL question

[midnightrider54]

I have read in past post there are some here that work with SQL. So this questions is for them.

 

First off let me say, I'm not a comupter expert by any means. What little knowledge I have is "self taught". I have built a few "DOS" data bases, some of which are still in use. But I feel it's time to look into a Window Data Base software. So, I am playing around with 2005 express (to use as a back end) and then some other software as the UI (any suggestion would be great!). Maybe with a little more time I could answer my own question, but no one ever said I was patience.

 

So, here's my question. Does SQL allow field calulations? Or is this all done in Scripts and Queries? In DOS a formula could be enter right into a field that would perform calulations based on information that had been entered into other fields. I have scanned thru a book, but never saw any reference to this.

 

Chuck

[Squeeze]

I'm no Expert either, only Access Usuage and therefore Basic SQL Knowlegde, but i don't think a Database as the Back End should be doing Jobs a front End should handle.

 

You can calculate whatever you want during Real Time and fill a Field in the current Dataset with the Value you computed.

[FJR Rider]

When I lasted used SQL you could write calculations and formulas, and use the results in further calculations and formulas on later lines.

 

Curt

[mountainhorsega]

Someone asked a question about something I AM an expert at! (Well, not SQL but I have been a programmer for 20 years.) Here is a great link for an SQL tutorial. This is not Sequel (SQL) Server but Structured Query Language. It is used inside of Sequel(SQL) Server - from a command line. Unbelievably powerful functionality.

 

http://www.w3schools.com/sql/

[Gray Ghost]

The others pretty much answered the question, and pointed out tutorials. I would recommend a training site, http://www.lvsonline.com. They have a lot of different courses, that cover web, computer, and various other interest areas. Most of the courses are $25 for the six weeks and do a very decent job of getting you started. I took their SQL course some time ago and it gave me enough of a leg up to do a decent job.

[SilvrT]

You "could" use a stored proceedure but generally "field" calculations are done at the form or report level. A "rule of thumb" is, if you can calculate the result, then you generally don't need to store it -unless- the result is based on changing variables over time such as tax rates ... then you would store the variables and calculate the result. Saves overloading the data store.

 

I use MS Access or Visual Basic as a front end and MySQL as the back end. Don't really care for Microsft SQL Express or the full-blown version. Furthermore, MySQL is free.

[slick97spirit]

I have read in past post there are some here that work with SQL. So this questions is for them.

 

First off let me say, I'm not a comupter expert by any means. What little knowledge I have is "self taught". I have built a few "DOS" data bases, some of which are still in use. But I feel it's time to look into a Window Data Base software. So, I am playing around with 2005 express (to use as a back end) and then some other software as the UI (any suggestion would be great!). Maybe with a little more time I could answer my own question, but no one ever said I was patience.

 

So, here's my question. Does SQL allow field calulations? Or is this all done in Scripts and Queries? In DOS a formula could be enter right into a field that would perform calulations based on information that had been entered into other fields. I have scanned thru a book, but never saw any reference to this.

 

 

Chuck

 

Ha, if that's not computer expert talk, I don't know what is!!!!!! I have no idea what area of the country your talking about!

[SilvrT]

I have built a few "DOS" data bases, In DOS a formula could be enter right into a field that would perform calulations based on information that had been entered into other fields. Chuck

 

Chuck... I would be interested to know what development environment you used in "DOS" because, DOS is nothing more than an operating system. I've done tons of development before Windows (in DOS) but I used a variety of "applications" to do it... Basic, Turbo Basic, Turbo Pascal, dBase, FoxPro, Clipper, Q&A (to name a few).

[SilvrT]

Ha, if that's not computer expert talk, I don't know what is!!!!!! I have no idea what area of the country your talking about!

 

 

heh... here's a bit of a breakdown for ya...

 

SQL ... Structured Query Language (a common, cross-platform language used to ask questions of data ... very "english language-like") For example, let's say you wanted a list of all the people you have in your address book from a specific area such as "Dallas" You'd create a statement like "select Name, Address from MyAddressBook where City='Dallas'".

 

 

DOS ... an acronym for Disk Operating System or better known as "Duhhhh Operating System"

 

(to use as a back end) ... "back end" means the file or files where the data is stored ... can also be your A$$ .... LOL

 

UI ... User Interface ... this is the part the user works with and is also known as the Front End.

 

field calculations .... this is what you do when you've got your calculator out and figuring how much a certain item will cost while standing in a field. ....

 

 

Scripts and Queries ... saved SQL statements.

 

a book ... something you read... has several pages, a front end and a back end ....

 

hope all the above helps...

 

[Dave77459]

I'm going to second the suggestion to use MySQL. It is powerful and free. Better, if you plan to migrate to a web-host, most of them offer MySQL. So learning MySQL in this process will give you a good experience on a popular SQL product.

[midnightrider54]

Chuck... I would be interested to know what development environment you used in "DOS" because, DOS is nothing more than an operating system. I've done tons of development before Windows (in DOS) but I used a variety of "applications" to do it... Basic, Turbo Basic, Turbo Pascal, dBase, FoxPro, Clipper, Q&A (to name a few).

 

I guess I should have said what Doss program I was using, Data Perfect. It was first introduced by Word Perfect. Then when Novell took over they tossed it aside. There is still a large group of people using it. It's been a good program for me. I still have four data bases in use today. I love it and wouldn't change but there are those who keep asking about a "windows program" and will not even consider anything connected to "DOSS".

 

I'm just testing the waters right now. I'm not set on any one software. As I stated earlier, I know very little about SQL. What little I do know has been from "testing the waters".

 

Another reason I've started looking into this is I going to have a total knee replacement this Friday. Thought this would give me something to do while I'm off work.

 

Chuck

[SilvrT]

I guess I should have said what Doss program I was using, Data Perfect. It was first introduced by Word Perfect. Then when Novell took over they tossed it aside. There is still a large group of people using it. It's been a good program for me. I still have four data bases in use today. I love it and wouldn't change but there are those who keep asking about a "windows program" and will not even consider anything connected to "DOSS".

 

I'm just testing the waters right now. I'm not set on any one software. As I stated earlier, I know very little about SQL. What little I do know has been from "testing the waters".

 

Another reason I've started looking into this is I going to have a total knee replacement this Friday. Thought this would give me something to do while I'm off work.

 

Chuck

 

ahhhh yes... good 'ole "Data Perfect" ... a rare breed for sure. Maybe good for some but I found it to be "out of mainstream" and not robust enuf. heh ... Novell did the same thing to it as Computer Associates did to Clipper ... well, at least they "tried" to "Windowize" it but they failed miserably and it eventually went by the wayside. I was very disappointed because Clipper was "THE COMPILER" for database development at the time, was extremely fast, had a lot of support and moreover, I had tons of utilities and tools for it. It was after that when I moved to Visual Basic and MS Access. I did test out Borland's Delphi and really liked it but my clients were forcing me to go with Access.

 

hey... good luck!

[midnightrider54]

I thought about Access as a UI. But I read some where that access is good for a small data bases, but it had it's problem handling large amount of data or operating in a network enviroment. Don't know how true that is, but I read that somewhere in my recent quest.

 

I've been playing around with SQL Server 2005 Express and Visual Basic 2008 Express as they were free down loads. When your just "playing around" free is always a good thing!

 

Any information you can pass along would be greatly appreciated!

 

Chuck

[SilvrT]

I thought about Access as a UI. But I read some where that access is good for a small data bases, but it had it's problem handling large amount of data or operating in a network enviroment. Don't know how true that is, but I read that somewhere in my recent quest.

 

I've been playing around with SQL Server 2005 Express and Visual Basic 2008 Express as they were free down loads. When your just "playing around" free is always a good thing!

 

Any information you can pass along would be greatly appreciated!

 

Chuck

 

Well, it depends on what one refers to as "more than small"... I've done hundreds of Access database systems and a few of them working with millions of records. What it is notorious for is it's slowness of complex queries on large datasets. As for networking... heck, no problem there and you can define various record locking settings and you can programmatically define transaction based updates which is crucial in networked processing. Furthermore, you can use any number of backends including MySQL so who really cares about the size of the data at that point. I love Access for it's ease of developing front ends and reporting. It has an extremely large following. I started developing in Access/VBA & VB when version 2 came out somewhere around 1992/3.

 

At this stage in my work tho, I am no longer self-employed but work for one company only so I tend to stick with MS Access 2003 / MySQL and have no plans (or reason) to go beyond that in the foreseeable future.

[FJR Rider]

"Data Perfect" ... close cousin to ENABLE, which was DOS based, but a very powerful integrated database, spreadsheet, word processor, and communication program. Microsoft bought them out mid-90s to take competition away from MS Office. During my final years on active duty, my boss and I built a system using ENABLE to manage our office .. budget, flying time, training budget for CAP, CAP drug surveillance flights, CAP search mission reimbursement, travel, all expenses, awards, cadet training, etc. Data in once...did everything else including generating the monthly and annual reports. My boss and I won an award from ENABLE for what we did...got a letter about a year later from Microsoft and their lawyers asking for all our code...we both refused...told MS the basis for what we did was in the award application we submitted and they could go there. Never heard anymore from MS.

 

Curt

[SilvrT]

"Data Perfect" ... close cousin to ENABLE, which was DOS based, but a very powerful integrated database, spreadsheet, word processor, and communication program. Microsoft bought them out mid-90s to take competition away from MS Office. During my final years on active duty, my boss and I built a system using ENABLE to manage our office .. budget, flying time, training budget for CAP, CAP drug surveillance flights, CAP search mission reimbursement, travel, all expenses, awards, cadet training, etc. Data in once...did everything else including generating the monthly and annual reports. My boss and I won an award from ENABLE for what we did...got a letter about a year later from Microsoft and their lawyers asking for all our code...we both refused...told MS the basis for what we did was in the award application we submitted and they could go there. Never heard anymore from MS.

 

Curt

 

cool!!!

 

yep... DataPerfect / Enable / Q&A ... all very similar (and there were a couple others which I can't recall the names to) ... unfortunately (if I recall correctly) they were all "flat-file" based. Not sure about the others but one thing I liked about Q&A was it's "artifical intelligence". You could teach it your own language and ask "real world" questions of your data such as "print me a report showing all the clients from Houston who have purchased more than a thousand dollars worth of goods a year ago February"

 

Not to say that flat-files aren't good but in most cases, relational is more suited.

[SilvrT]

well, I stand corrected... DataPerfect was relational according to the following...

 

http://dataperfect2005.blogspot.com/

[SilvrT]

Found this..... maybe it will be heplful

 

http://www.appdev.com/promo/freetitle.asp?PC=SE00023&T=d%5FSQL&gclid=CM3Rm5aIhZkCFRBbagodwGo8lg

[Dano]

And I thought you guys were talking about ham radio.........