On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 19:44:50 -0800 "Net Llama!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 03/27/03 19:37, Bill Davidson wrote: > > On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 19:11:37 -0800 > > "Net Llama!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> On 03/27/03 19:10, Bill Davidson wrote: > >> > On Thu, 27 Mar 2003 17:45:33 -0800 > >> > "Net Llama!" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> > > >> >> i've got an Oracle (9i, if that matters) problem. i need to > >> >> essentially copy all the data from a single column (call it a) > >in a> >> table into a different column (call it b) in the same table. > > both > >> >a> and b are the same datatype, and b is currently empty. i've > >tried> >the> following, but it fails: > >> >> insert into table_foo (b) values ((select a from table_foo)); > >> >> > >> >> i think the problem is that its attempting to insert all the > >rows> >from> a into a single row of b. i just don't know how to work > >around> >this. > anyone have any ideas or suggestions? thanks! > >> > > >> > How about: > >> > insert into table_foo (b) select a from table_foo; > >> > >> ORA-01400: cannot insert NULL > > > > I was just about to correct that post. INSERT creates a new row. It > > sounds like you need to UPDATE. I don't know how to to update > > multiple rows with different data. Sorry. > > why would i want to update? there's nothing in b yet to update, which > is why i thought inserting was the way to get the data in there. INSERT inserts rows, not columns. If you INSERT like you tried you'll get new rows with only column b filled with data. That won't even work if you try unless all the other fields are optional (which would be highly irregular, to say the very least). I don't have a lot of experience with SQL, just from college, where I'm in my final year, so I can't help you much more than that. Bill _______________________________________________ Linux-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe/Suspend/Etc -> http://www.linux-sxs.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
