If I want to insert values into the first 2 columns of a table, but I don't know the column names is it possible WHEN the table has more than two columns? If so how?

Roy Lambert

Roy,

<< If I want to insert values into the first 2 columns of a table, but I
don't know the column names is it possible WHEN the table has more than two
columns? If so how? >>

In an SQL statement or in a script with SQL/PSM ?   If the former, then it's
possible, but you'll most likely have to build the SQL dynamically in code,
using the Information schema to find out what the first two columns are and
then building the INSERT statement accordingly with only the first two
column names specified:

http://www.elevatesoft.com/scripts/manual.dll?action=mantopic&id=edb1sql&category=11&topic=172

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Tim


Thanks - pretty much the conclusion I'd come to. I'm doing it in code for now cos I don't know how to set a column to force data entry to upper case.

Roy Lambert

Tim,

<< In an SQL statement or in a script with SQL/PSM ?   If the former, then
it's possible, but you'll most likely have to build the SQL dynamically in
code, using the Information schema to find out what the first two columns
are and then building the INSERT statement accordingly with only the first
two column names specified: >>

It would be nice to have an ORDINAL_POSITION column in the "TableColumns"
system table, holding the 1-based index of the columns within the table
definition.

Example query:

select name
from information.tablecolumns
where
 upper(tablename) = 'MYTABLE'
 and ordinal_position between 1 and 2

Ole Willy Tuv

Ole,

<< It would be nice to have an ORDINAL_POSITION column in the "TableColumns"
system table, holding the 1-based index of the columns within the table
definition. >>

I've bounced around the idea a few times.   For now, the ordinal position is
the row position, so if you use this:

select name
from information.tablecolumns
where upper(tablename) = 'MYTABLE'

then the first two rows are guaranteed to be the first two rows in the
table, in ordinal order.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com