understanding existing SQL query - sql

I am trying to read some exiting SQL queries written for MS SQL server.
I don't have access to database, table names etc.. Just raw query format...And I need to do some analysis on the fields required..
I need some help in understanding what certain query statements are doing...such as in the following block...
select FIELD1, x2.FIELD2
into #temp
from #temp1 x1 join #temp2 x2
on x1.FIELD1 = x2.FIELD2
and x1.FIELD3 = x2.MAXOCCUR
I have basic SQL understanding.. But I need to understand couple of things....Why does 'into' and 'from' statements have a '#' infront of table names.....what are x1 and x2 in this case. Why not just say
temp1.FIELD1 = temp2.FIELD2 instead of
x1.FIELD1 = x2.FIELD2
.....Am I missing something or is this query formed weird to begin with....I understand joins etc...
Can someone help me out...
Thanks

That is selecting from two already temp existing temp tables into a new temp table. The x1.FIELD1 is called aliasing. It's used so you don't have to type full table names when writing the query

As mentioned, the # signs indicate a TEMPORARY table.
x1 and x2 are used as "table alias" in this query. Yes, you could write
temp1.FIELD1 = temp2.FIELD2 instead of x1.FIELD1 = x2.FIELD2
but, consider if the tables had long names. Then using an alias makes the query easier to read (for humans. the computer doesn't really care).

Related

SQL update multiple rows with different values where they match a value from a list

So perhaps the title is a little confusing. If you can suggest better wording for that please let me know and i'll update.
Here's the issue. I've got a table with many thousands of rows and i need to update a few thousand of those many to store latest email data.
For example:
OldEmail#1.com => NewEmail#1.com
OldEmail#2.com => NewEmail#2.com
I've got a list of old emails ('OldEmail#1.com','OldEmail#2.com') and a list of the new ('NewEmail#1.com','NewEmail#2.com'). The HOPE was was to sort of do it simply with something like
UPDATE Table
SET Email = ('NewEmail#1.com','NewEmail#2.com')
WHERE Email = ('OldEmail#1.com','OldEmail#2.com')
I hope that makes sense. Any questions just ask. Thanks!
You could use a case expression:
update mytable
set email = case email
when 'OldEmail#1.com' then 'NewEmail#1.com'
when 'OldEmail#2.com' then 'NewEmail#2.com'
end
where email in ('OldEmail#1.com','OldEmail#2.com')
Or better yet, if you have a large list of values, you might create a table to store them (like myref(old_email, new_email)) and join it in your update query, like so:
update t
set t.email = r.new_email
from mytable t
inner join myref r on r.old_email = t.email
The actual syntax for update/join does vary accross databases - the above SQL Server syntax.
With accuracy to the syntax in particular DBMS:
WITH cte AS (SELECT 'NewEmail#1.com' newvalue, 'OldEmail#1.com' oldvalue
UNION ALL
SELECT 'NewEmail#2.com', 'OldEmail#2.com')
UPDATE table
SET table.email = cte.newvalue
FROM cte
WHERE table.email = cte.oldvalue
or, if CTE is not available,
UPDATE table
SET table.email = cte.newvalue
FROM (SELECT 'NewEmail#1.com' newvalue, 'OldEmail#1.com' oldvalue
UNION ALL
SELECT 'NewEmail#2.com', 'OldEmail#2.com') cte
WHERE table.email = cte.oldvalue
Consider prepared statement for rows update in large batches.
Basically it works as following :
database complies a query pattern you provide the first time, keep the compiled result for current connection (depends on implementation).
then you updates all the rows, by sending shortened label of the prepared function with different parameters in SQL syntax, instead of sending entire UPDATE statement several times for several updates
the database parse the shortened label of the prepared function , which is linked to the pre-compiled result, then perform the updates.
next time when you perform row updates, the database may still use the pre-compiled result and quickly complete the operations (so the first step above can be skipped).
Here is PostgreSQL example of prepare statement, many of SQL databases (e.g. MariaDB,MySQL, Oracle) also support it.

Add column with substring of other column in SQL (Snowflake)

I feel like this should be simple but I'm relatively unskilled in SQL and I can't seem to figure it out. I'm used to wrangling data in python (pandas) or Spark (usually pyspark) and this would be a one-liner in either of those. Specifically, I'm using Snowflake SQL, but I think this is probably relevant to a lot of flavors of SQL.
Essentially I just want to trim the first character off of a specific column. More generally, what I'm trying to do is replace a column with a substring of the same column. I would even settle for creating a new column that's a substring of an existing column. I can't figure out how to do any of these things.
On obvious solution would be to create a temporary table with something like
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE tmp_sub AS
SELECT id_col, substr(id_col, 2, 10) AS id_col_sub FROM table1
and then join it back and write a new table
CREATE TABLE table2 AS
SELECT
b.id_col_sub as id_col,
a.some_col1, a.some_col2, ...
FROM table1 a
JOIN tmp_sub b
ON a.id_col = b.id_col
My tables have roughly a billion rows though and this feels extremely inefficient. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe this is just the right way to do it? I guess I could replace the CREATE TABLE table2 AS... to INSERT OVERWRITE INTO table1 ... and at least that wouldn't store an extra copy of the whole thing.
Any thoughts and ideas are most welcome. I come at this humbly from the perspective of someone who is baffled by a language that so many people seem to have mastery over.
I'm not sure the exact syntax/functions in Snowflake but generally speaking there's a few different ways of achieving this.
I guess the general approach that would work universally is using the SUBSTRING function that's available in any database.
Assuming you have a table called Table1 with the following data:
+-------+-----------------------------------------+
Code | Desc
+-------+-----------------------------------------+
0001 | 1First Character Will be Removed
0002 | xCharacter to be Removed
+-------+-----------------------------------------+
The SQL code to remove the first character would be:
select SUBSTRING(Desc,2,len(desc)) from Table1
Please note that the "SUBSTRING" function may vary according to different databases. In Oracle for example the function is "SUBSTR". You just need to find the Snowflake correspondent.
Another approach that would work at least in SQLServer and MySQL would be using the "RIGHT" function
select RIGHT(Desc,len(Desc) - 1) from Table1
Based on your question I assume you actually want to update the actual data within the table. In that case you can use the same function above in an update statement.
update Table1 set Desc = SUBSTRING(Desc,2,len(desc))
You didn't try this?
UPDATE tableX
SET columnY = substr(columnY, 2, 10 ) ;
-Paul-
There is no need to specify the length, as is evidenced from the following simple test harness:
SELECT $1
,SUBSTR($1, 2)
,RIGHT($1, -2)
FROM VALUES
('abcde')
,('bcd')
,('cdef')
,('defghi')
,('e')
,('fg')
,('')
;
Both expressions here - SUBSTR(<col>, 2) and RIGHT(<col>, -2) - effectively remove the first character of the <col> column value.
As for the strategy of using UPDATE versus INSERT OVERWRITE, I do not believe that there will be any difference in performance or outcome, so I might opt for the UPDATE since it is simpler. So, in conclusion, I would use:
UPDATE tableX
SET columnY = SUBSTR(columnY, 2)
;

Using table variables in Oracle Stored Procedure

I have lots of experience with T-SQL (MS SQL Server).
There it is quite common to first select some set of records into a
table variable or say temp table t, and then work with this t
throughout the whole SP body using it just like a regular table
(for JOINS, sub-queries, etc.).
Now I am trying the same thing in Oracle but it's a pain.
I get errors all the way and it keeps saying
that it does not recognize my table (i.e. my table variable).
Error(28,7): PL/SQL: SQL Statement ignored
Error(30,28): PL/SQL: ORA-00942: table or view does not exist
I start thinking what at all is possible to do with this
table variable and what not (in the SP body) ?
I have this declaration:
TYPE V_CAMPAIGN_TYPE IS TABLE OF V_CAMPAIGN%ROWTYPE;
tc V_CAMPAIGN_TYPE;
What on Earth can I do with this tc now in my SP?!
This is what I am trying to do in the body of the SP.
UPDATE ( SELECT t1.STATUS_ID, t2.CAMPAIGN_ID
FROM V_CAMPAIGN t1
INNER JOIN tc t2 ON t1.CAMPAIGN_ID = t2.CAMPAIGN_ID
) z
SET z.STATUS_ID = 4;
V_CAMPAIGN is a DB view, tc is my table variable
Presumably you are trying to update a subset of the V_CAMPAIGN records.
While in SQLServer it may be useful to define a 'temporary' table containing the subset and then operate on that it isn't necessary in Oracle.
Simply update the table with the where clause you would have used to define the temp table.
E.g.
UPDATE v_campaign z
SET z.status_id = 4
WHERE z.column_name = 'a value'
AND z.status <> 4
I assume that the technique you are familiar with is to minimise the effect of read locks that are taken while selecting the data.
Oracle uses a different locking strategy so the technique is mostly unnecessary.
Echoing a comment above - tell us what you want to achieve in Oracle and you will get suggestions for the best way forward.

Sql loop through the values on a table

first off, noob alert! :))
I need to construct a query that runs on many tables. The tables vary on name just on the last digits as per client code. The thing is, the values that change aren't sequential so looping as in i=1,2,3,... does not work. A possible solution would be to have those values on a given field on an other table.
Here is the code for the first two clients 015 and 061. The leading zero(s) must are essential.
SELECT LnMov2017015.CConta, RsMov2017015.DR, RsMov2017015.NInt, "015" AS CodCli
FROM LnMov2017015 INNER JOIN RsMov2017015 ON LnMov2017015.NReg = RsMov2017015.NReg
WHERE (((LnMov2017015.CConta)="6" And (LnMov2017015.CConta)="7") AND ((RsMov2017015.DR)=9999))
UNION SELECT LnMov2017061.CConta, RsMov2017061.DR, RsMov2017061.NInt, "061" AS CodCli
FROM LnMov2017061 INNER JOIN RsMov2017061 ON LnMov2017061.NReg = RsMov2017061.NReg
WHERE (((LnMov2017061.CConta)="6" And (LnMov2017061.CConta)="7") AND ((RsMov2017061.DR)=9999))
...
So for the first SELECT the table Name is LnMov2017015, the ending 015 being the value, the client code, that changes from table to table e.g. in the second SELECT the table name is LnMov2017061 (061) being what distinguishes the table.
For each client code there are two tables e.g. LnMov2017015 and RsMov2017015 (LnMov2017061 and RsMov2017061 for the second set client shown).
Is there a way that I can build the SQL, based upon the example SQL above?
Does anyone have an idea for a solution? :)
Apparently it is possible to build a query object to read data in another db without establishing table link. Just tested and to my surprise it works. Example:
SELECT * FROM [SoilsAgg] IN "C:\Users\Owner\June\DOT\Lab\Editing\ConstructionData.accdb";
I was already using this structure in VBA to execute DELETE and UPDATE action statements.
Solution found :)
Thank you all for your input.
Instead of linking 100 tables (password protected), I'll access them with SLQ
FROM Table2 IN '' ';database=C:\db\db2.mdb;PWD=mypwd'
And merge them all with a query, before any other thing!

Inserting new rows into table-1 based on constraints defined on table-2 and table-3

I want to append new rows to a table-1 d:\dl based on the equality constraint lower(rdl.subdir) = lower(tr.n1), where rdl and tr would be prospective aliases for f:\rdl and f:\tr tables respectively.
I get a function name is missing ). message when running the following command in VFP9:
INSERT INTO d:\dl SELECT * FROM f:\rdl WHERE (select LOWER(subdir)FROM f:\rdl in (select LOWER(n1) FROM f:\tr))
I am using the in syntax, instead of the alias based equality statement lower(rdl.subdir) = lower(tr.n1) because I do not know where to define aliases within this command.
In general, the best way to get something like this working is to first make the query work and give you the results you want, and then use it in INSERT.
In general, in SQL commands you assign aliases by putting them after the table name, with or without the keyword AS. In this case, you don't need aliases because the ones you want are the same as the table names and that's the default.
If what you're showing is your exact code and you're running it in VFP, the first problem is that you're missing the continuation character between lines.
You're definitely doing too much work, too. Try this:
INSERT INTO d:\dl ;
SELECT * ;
FROM f:\rdl ;
JOIN f:\tr ;
ON LOWER(rdl.subdir) = LOWER(tr.n1)