I've been wracking my brain here trying to figure out a way to achieve a solution to the following without external applications (such as Excel).
I'll set up the structure: We are using a 3rd party ERP that provides a nicely configured conversion system for product packaging types. I'm trying to create a query that will take all conversions for a given product and return them inline. Because the number of conversion records is indeterminate, the query would need to be recursive.
To make things simple, let's use package quantites for this scenario example. If a product can be shipped in [eaches, pairs, sets, packages, and cartons], the conversion table records would look something like this:
pkConvKey
fkProdID
childUnit
parentUnit
chPerParent
ConvRec001
Prod123
each
pair
2
ConvRec002
Prod123
pair
set
3
ConvRec003
Prod123
set
pack
7
ConvRec004
Prod123
pack
carton
24
Using the table above, I can determine how many pairs of Prod123 are contained in a carton by following the math:
24 packs x 7 sets x 3 pairs = 504 pairs per carton.
I could further multiply that by 2 to get the count of individual pieces in a carton (1,008). That's the idea behind the conversion table but here's my actual problem.
I'd like to return a table of records where associated conversions are in-line, thusly:
fkProdID
unit1
unit2
qtyInUnit2
unit3
qtyInUnit3
unit4
qtyInUnit4
unit5
qtyInUnit5
Prod123
each
pair
2
set
3
pack
7
carton
24
Complicating the matter is that the unit types are unknown (arbitrary) values and there is no requirement to have a full, intact chain from unit A to unit Z. (For example, there might be a conversion record from each to pair, and another from set to pack, but not one from pair to set).
In this scenario, the select can't recursively link the records, and they would appear in the resulting table as two separate records - which is fine.
I have attempted to join the table to itself on t1.parentUnit = t2.childUnit, but that obviously doesn't work recursively.
I fear my only solution is to left join the table over and over - as many as 20 times in the query, settling for NULL values if additional conversions do not exist but then I would also have many duplicate rows (with incomplete conversion chains) to weed out.
Can this be done in a select query?
Thanks in advance!
-Dan
I know this question has been asked and answered. I understand the problem and I understand the underlying cause and I understand the solution. What I DON'T understand is how to implement the solution.
I'll try to be detailed....
Background: Each material is being grouped on WellID (I work in oil and gas) and SandType which is my primary key in each table, these come from 2 lookup tables one for each. (I work in oil and gas)
I have 3 tables that store material (sand)) weights at 3 different stages in the job process. Basically the weight from the engineer's DESIGN, what was DELIVERED and what is in INVENTORY.
I know that the join is messed up and adding the total for each row in each table. Sometimes double triple etc.
I am grouping on WellID and SandID.
Now I don't want someone to do the work for me. I just don't know how or where in access to restrict it to what I want, or if modifying t he sql the proper way to write the code. Current work around is 3 separate sum queries one for each table, but that is going to get inefficient and added steps.
My whole database purpose and subsequent reports hinge off math on these 3 numbers so, my show stopper here is putting the fat lady on stage, and is about to become a deal breaker at the end of the line! 0
I need some advice, direction, criticism, wisdom, witty euphemisms or a new job!
The 3 tables look as follows
Design:
T_DESIGN
DesignID WellID Sand_ID Weight_DES Time_DES
89 201 1 100 4/21/2014 6:46:02 AM
98 201 2 100 4/21/2014 7:01:22 AM
86 201 4 100 4/21/2014 6:28:01 AM
93 228 5 100 4/21/2014 6:53:34 AM
91 228 1 100 4/21/2014 6:51:23 AM
92 228 1 100 4/21/2014 6:53:30 AM
Delivered:
T_BOL
BOLID WellID_BOL SandID_BOL Weight_BOL
279 201 1 100
280 201 1 100
281 228 2 5
282 228 1 10
283 228 9 100
Inventory:
T_BIN
StrapID WellID_BIN SandID_BIN Weight_BIN
11 201 1 100
13 228 1 10
14 228 1 0
17 228 1 103
19 201 1 50
The Query Results:
Test Query99
WellID
WellID SandID Sum Of Weight_DES Sum Of Weight_BOL Sum Of Weight_BIN
201 1 400 400 300
228 1 600 60 226
SQL:
SELECT DISTINCTROW L_WELL.WellID, L_SAND.SandID,
Sum(T_DESIGN.Weight_DES) AS [Sum Of Weight_DES],
Sum(T_BOL.Weight_BOL) AS [Sum Of Weight_BOL],
Sum(T_BIN.Weight_BIN) AS [Sum Of Weight_BIN]
FROM ((L_SAND INNER JOIN
(L_WELL INNER JOIN T_DESIGN ON L_WELL.[WellID] = T_DESIGN.[WellID_DES])
ON L_SAND.SandID = T_DESIGN.[SandID_DES])
INNER JOIN T_BIN
ON (L_WELL.WellID = T_BIN.WellID_BIN)
AND (L_SAND.SandID = T_BIN.SandID_BIN))
INNER JOIN T_BOL
ON (L_WELL.WellID = T_BOL.WellID_BOL) AND (L_SAND.SandID = T_BOL.SandID_BOL)
GROUP BY L_WELL.WellID, L_SAND.SandID;
Two LooUp tables are for Well Names and Sand Types. (Well has been abbreviate do to size)
L_Well:
WellID WellName_WELL
3 AAGVIK 1-35H
4 AARON 1-22
5 ACHILLES 5301 41-12B
6 ACKLINS 6092 12-18H
7 ADDY 5992 43-21 #1H
8 AERABELLE 5502 43-7T
9 AGNES 1-13H
10 AL 5493 44-23B
11 ALDER 6092 43-8H
12 AMELIA FEDERAL 5201 41-11B
13 AMERADA STATE 1-16X
14 ANDERSMADSON 5201 41-13H
15 ANDERSON 1-13H
16 ANDERSON 7-18H
17 ANDRE 5501 13-4H
18 ANDRE 5501 14-5 3B
19 ANDRE SHEPHERD 5501 14-7 1T
Sand Lookup:
LSand
SandID SandType_Sand
1 100 Mesh
2 20/40 EP
3 20/40 RC
4 20/40 W
5 30/50 Ceramic
6 30/50 EP
7 30/50 RC
8 40/70 EP
9 40/70 W
10 NA See Notes
Querying and Joining Aggregation Data through an MS Access Database
I noticed your concern for pointers on how to implement some of the theory behind your aggregation queries. While SQL queries are good power-tools to get to the core of a difficult analysis problem, it might also be useful to show some of the steps on how to bring things together using the built-in design tools of MS Access.
This solution was developed on MS Access 2010.
Comments on Previous Solutions
#xQbert had a solid start with the following SQL statement. The sub query approach could be visualized as individual query objects created in Access:
FROM
(SELECT WellID, Sand_ID, Sum(weight_DES) as sumWeightDES
FROM T_DESGN) A
INNER JOIN
(SELECT WellID_BOL, Sum(Weight_BOL) as SUMWEIGHTBOL
FROM T_BOL B) B
ON A.Well_ID = B.WellID_BOL
INNER JOIN
(SELECT WellID_BIN, sum(Weight_Bin) as SumWeightBin
FROM T_BIN) C
ON C.Well_ID_BIN = B.Well_ID_BOL
Depending on the actual rules of the business data, the following assumptions made in this query may not necessarily be true:
Will the tables of T_DESIGN, T_BOL and T_BIN be populated at the same time? The sample data has mixed values, i.e., there are WellID and SandID combinations which do not have values for all three of these categories.
INNER type joins assume all three tables have records for each dimension value (Well-Sand combination)
#Frazz improved on the query design by suggesting that whatever is selected as the "base" joining table (T_DESIGN in this case), this table must be populated with all the relevant dimensional values (WellID and SandID combinations).
SELECT
WellID_DES AS WellID,
SandID_DES AS SandID,
SUM(Weight_DES) AS Weight_DES,
(SELECT SUM(Weight_BOL) FROM T_BOL WHERE T_BOL.WellID_BOL=d.WellID_DES
AND T_BOL.SandID_BOL=d.SandID_DES) AS Weight_BOL,
(SELECT SUM(Weight_BIN) FROM T_BIN WHERE T_BIN.WellID_BIN=d.WellID_DES
AND T_BIN.SandID_BIN=d.SandID_DES) AS Weight_BIN
FROM T_DESIGN;
(... note: a group-by statement should be here...)
This was animprovement because now all joins originate from a single point. If a key-value does not exist in either T_BOL or T_BIN, results will still come back and the entire record of the query would not be lost.
Again, it may be possible that there are no T_DESIGN records matching to values stored in the other tables.
Building Aggregation Sub Query Objects
The presented data does not suggest that there is any direct interaction between the data in each of the three tables aside from lining up their results in the end for presentation based on a common key-value pair (WellID and SandID). Since we are using Access, there is a chance to do these calculations separately.
This query was designed using the "summarizing" feature of the Access query design tool. It's output, after pointing to the T_DESIGN table looked like this:
Making Dimension Table Through a Cartesian Product
There are mixed opinions out there about cartesian products, but they do actually have a purpose.
Most of the concern is that a runaway cartesian product query will make millions and millions of nonsensical data values. In this query, it's specifically designed to simulate a real business condition.
The Case for a Cartesian Product
Picking from the sample data provided:
Some of the Sand Types: "20/40 EP", "30/50 Ceramic", "40/70 EP", and "30/50 RC" that are moved between their respective wells, are these sand types found at these wells consistently throughout the year?
Without an anchoring dimension for the key-values, Wells would not be found anywhere in the database via querying. It's not that they do not exist... it's just that there is no recorded data (i.e., Sand Type Weights delivered) for them.
A Reference Dimension Query Product
A dimension query is simple to produce. By referencing the two sources of keys: L_WELL and L_SAND (both look up tables or dimensional tables) without identifying a join condition, all the different combinations of the two key-values (WellID and SandID) are made:
The shortcut in SQL looks like this:
SELECT L_WELL.WellID, L_SAND.SandID, L_WELL.WellName, L_SAND.SandType
FROM L_SAND, L_WELL;
The resulting data looks like this:
Instead of using any of the operational data tables: T_DESIGN, T_BOL, or T_BIN as sources of data for a static dimension such as a list of Oil Wells, or a catalog of Sand Types, that data has been predetermined and can even be transferred to a real table since it probably will not change much once it is created.
Correlating Sub Query Results from Different Sources
After repeating the process and creating the summary tables for the other two sources (T_BOL and T_BIN), You can finally arrange the results through a simple query and join process.
The actual JOIN operations are between the dimension table/query: QSUB_WELL_SAND and all three of the summary queries: QSUB_DES, QSUB_BOL, and QSUB_BIN.
I have chosen to chosen to implement LEFT OUTER joins. If you are not sure of the difference between the different "outer" joins, this is the choice I made through the Access Query Design dialogue:
QSUB_WELL_SAND is defined as our anchor dimension. It will always have more records than any of the other tables. An OUTER JOIN should be defined to KEEP all reference dimension records... and all Summary Table query results, regardless if there is a match between the two Query results.
QSUB_WEIGHTS/ The Query to Combine All Sub Query Results
This is what the design of the final output query looks like:
This is what the data output looks like when this query design is executed:
Conclusions and Clean Up: Some Closing Thoughts
With respect to the join to the dimension query, there is a lot of empty space where there are no records or data to report on. This is where a cleverly placed filter or query criteria can shrink the output to exactly what you care to look at the most. Here's how mine looked after I added additional ending query criteria:
My data was based on what was supplied by the OP, except where the ID's assigned to the Well Type attribute did not match the sample data. The values I assigned instead are posted below as well.
Access supports a different style of database operations. Step-wise queries can be developed to hold pre-processed, special sets of data that can be reintroduced to the other data tables and query results to develop complex query criteria.
All this being said, Programming in SQL can also be just as rewarding. Be sure to explore some of the differences between the results and the capabilities you can tap into by using one approach (sql coding), the other approach (access design wizards) or both of the approaches. There's definitely a lot of room to grow and discover new capabilities from just the example provided here.
Hopefully I haven't stolen all the fun from developing a solution for your situation. I read into your comment about "building more on top" as the harbinger of more fun to come, so I don't feel so bad...! Happy Developing!
Data Modifications from the Sample Set
Without understanding L_SAND and L_WELL this is the best I could come up with..
use sub selects to get the sums first so you don't compound the data issues on the joins.
Select WellID, Sand_ID, sumWeightDES, WellID_BOL, SUMWEIGHTBOL,
WellID_BIN, SumWeightBin
FROM
(SELECT WellID, Sand_ID, Sum(weight_DES) as sumWeightDES
FROM T_DESGN) A
INNER JOIN
(SELECT WellID_BOL, Sum(Weight_BOL) as SUMWEIGHTBOL
FROM T_BOL B) B
ON A.Well_ID = B.WellID_BOL
INNER JOIN
(SELECT WellID_BIN, sum(Weight_Bin) as SumWeightBin
FROM T_BIN) C
ON C.Well_ID_BIN = B.Well_ID_BOL
I would simplify it excluding L_WELL and L_SAND. If you are just interestend in IDs, then they really shouldn't be necessary joins. If all the other 3 tables have the WellID and SandID columns, then pick the one that is sure to have all combos.
Supposing it's the Design table, then:
SELECT
WellID_DES AS WellID,
SandID_DES AS SandID,
SUM(Weight_DES) AS Weight_DES,
(SELECT SUM(Weight_BOL) FROM T_BOL WHERE T_BOL.WellID_BOL=d.WellID_DES AND T_BOL.SandID_BOL=d.SandID_DES) AS Weight_BOL,
(SELECT SUM(Weight_BIN) FROM T_BIN WHERE T_BIN.WellID_BIN=d.WellID_DES AND T_BIN.SandID_BIN=d.SandID_DES) AS Weight_BIN
FROM T_DESIGN
GROUP BY WellID, SandID;
... and make sure all your tables have an index on WellID and SandID.
Just to be clear. I dont' think it's a good idea to start the join from the lookup tables, or from their cartesian product. You can always left join them to fetch descriptions and other data. But the main query should be the one with all the combos of WellID and SandID... or if not all, at least the most. Things get difficult if none of the 3 tables (DESIGN, BOL and BIN) have all combos. In that case (and I'd say only in that case) then you might as well start with the cartesian product of the two lookup tables. You could also do a UNION, but I doubt that would be more efficient.
My Questions:
Is there a way to add quotes around %{macro_name} in my SQL query ?
Is there a better way to create the required report (i.e. not using RapidMiner)?
My Process:
I'm currently trying to create a custom report of data stored in a MySQL database. Here is an hypothetical example of my table data:
Item_Name Item_Price Item_Stock Item_Timestamp
Dish Soap 3.99 25 1/1/2013 12:00am
Frogs 0.69 26 1/1/2013 12:00am
Frogs 0.69 19 1/1/2013 1:00am
Dish Soap 3.99 28 1/1/2013 1:00am
Item_Timestamp refers to the datetime of when the entry was made.
I'm attempting to use RapidMiner to do the following:
Provide a summation of increases in Item_Stock for each unique Item_Name
Provide a summation of decreases in Item_Stock for each unique Item_Name
Provide the average rate of change over a specified time period
My goal is to create a report that tells me whether items are being restocked at a rate of equilibrium with demand.
In order to create a report for each unique Item_Name, I have created a RapidMiner process which loads unique Item_Name as an example set, then attempts to loop through the exampleset by using the extract macro operator which sends the Item_Name from each example to another SQL query. RapidMiner uses %{macro_name} as the syntax for the macro. My SQL query looks like:
Select Item_Name
From thisTable
Where Item_Name = %{macro_name}
The problem is that this query throws an exception, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps the problem is that %{macro_name} returns a string without the necessary quotes, but I am unsure.
My questions are:
Is there a way to add quotes around %{macro_name} in my SQL query ?
Is there a better way to create the required report (i.e. not using RapidMiner)?
I figured out the main problem:
My current SQL string has a syntax problems. I needed to capitalize and there should be no space before %{macro_name}
SELECT Item_Name
FROM `thisTable`
WHERE Item_Name =%{macro_name}
I have an table something like:
Date | Communication_Type
---------- --------------------
12/10/2011 EMAIL
12/10/2011 WEB
12/10/2011 WEB
11/10/2011 MAIL
11/10/2011 FAX
11/10/2011 FAX
11/10/2011 EMAIL
I want to write a query to display the top two communication types for a certain date, but the communication types are not limited to the ones shown here, they could be one of 100.
Is there a way I could get an output like this, ie for the 11/11/2011
<_top_communication_type_count> | <second_top_communication_type_count>
-------------------------------- --------------------------------------
2 1
where _top_communication_type_count would be the FAX_COUNT in this instance, but for the 12/11/2011 would be WEB_COUNT
Its a bit difficult to explain but hopefully you get what I mean!
I've found examples for mySQL, but not for Oracle.
It isn't possible to use a list of unknown values as column names in Oracle (10g does have pivot but it requires a known list of values). In theory you could do it by querying for unique values first, then building a dynamic query, but it would be a lot of work for marginally useful results.
Below is a solution that returns the data in a normal row-based format (based on #Michael Durrant's answer, modified to work in Oracle):
select *
from (
select communication_type
from communications c
where date = 'the_date'
order by count(c.communication_type)
group by c.communication_type)
where rownum <= 2
This query is supposed to run with ms access 2003 using SQL. the function JOIN is NOT supported explicitly. implicitly in the WHERE clause is fine...implicity anywhere is fine as long as the word JOIN INNER JOIN Etc is not used.
DayNumnber PastTime
.
.
.
333 Homework
333 TV
334 Date
620 Chores
620 Date
620 Homework
725 Chores
725 Date
888 Internet
888 TV
.
.
.
Hey I would like a query that can Show the most important past time done for each day (TV and internet do not count!) .So importance would be Homework > Chores > Date.So:
DayNumber PastTime
333 Homework
334 Date
620 Homework
725 Chores
Something that might change this problem. Altho all the different past times are listen in a table together. but that was because i appended the table. originally the homework entries. chore entries and date entriess . internet entriess. tv entries. came from different tables.
eg homework 333
homework 620
Is it easier to do it without appending these tables first? I would hopefully like it to be done with the appended table but ya
I was thinking of a mixture of insert. delete... but the hardest part is checking that there is something there for a date a few things and how to put the more important thing done that day . Thank you
Create another table with:
Pri | PastTime
--------------
1 | Homework
2 | Chores
3 | Date
This is a priority list for the items.
Next do:
SELECT MIN(Pri), DayNumber
FROM PastTime_table, Priority_table
WHERE PastTime_table.PastTime = Priority_table.PastTime
GROUP BY DayNumber
This will give you the most important past time for each day. And because TV and Internet are not listed they will not show up.
But it will give you a number, and not the name.
If you had a better SQL you could then join this back to the Priority_table and lookup the name. But I guess you will have to do that part manually.
If you are willing to change the name and call them:
A_Homework
B_Chores
C_Date
instead then you could do (without any extra table):
SELECT MIN(PastTime), DayNumber
FROM PastTime_table
GROUP BY DayNumber
Since it sorts the name alphabetically it will always give you the best one.
You can add a WHERE to remove TV and Internet.