Excellent explanation. Thanks again.
CL
At 02:00 PM 1/25/2006, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Clyde Lewis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote on 01/25/2006 01:41:30 PM:
> Is there a command in mysql that will return the row number. I
> tried rownum and rownum()
>
No, "rows" do not exist in the base data of a MySQL database. They
are called "records" and records may be stored in any order. Within
some MySQL storage engines (particularly InnoDB), more than one of
any "record" may exist in the database at the same time (depending
on transaction activity) or in more than one place (NDB).
Within the results of a SELECT query, the individual row number is
only important to the client. You need to use whatever number your
client library provides for you.( ex: in ADO you would use the
Recordset.AbsolutePosition property) There is no internal "record
number" that is exposed through any interface to any client.
Now, there is a pointer to each record but that is not useful
information to any system except the database server itself and
cannot be used to query for a particular record because it is not
part of the data but it is part of the metadata associated with
each record. Records can move around within a database file
(changing their pointers) so long as the data pointed to does not change.
Shawn Green
Database Administrator
Unimin Corporation - Spruce Pine
***********************
Clyde Lewis
Database Administrator
General Parts, Inc.
919-227-5100
