[comp.databases] Computer columns in R:BASE 3.1

lape@cs.utk.edu (Bryon S. Lape) (03/01/91)

	I need to have a computed column be a result of a WHERE clause type
cross table reference.  Or in simpler terms....

	Say table Letter_Grades have two columns like so:

		Letter		Number
	       ----------    ------------
		   A+		 4.00
		   A		 4.00
		   A-		 3.67
		   .		  .
		   .		  .
		   F		 0.00

	Now another table holds grades for a student.  Those grades are
entered by a letter, but I need to compute the quality points (credit hours
* grade) by looking up the corresponding Letter ==> Number grade.  I have
tried something like this:

		ENGL1011
	      ------------

		(Number IN Letter_Grades WHERE Letter = ENGL1011)

	but this causes the column to be test field holding the above
string.  Is what I need impossible???


Bryon Lape

rob.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu (Robert Rittenhouse) (03/05/91)

lape@cs.utk.edu (Bryon S. Lape) writes:

> 
> 	I need to have a computed column be a result of a WHERE clause type
> cross table reference.  Or in simpler terms....
> 
> 	Say table Letter_Grades have two columns like so:
> 
> 		Letter		Number
> 	       ----------    ------------
> 		   A+		 4.00
> 		   A-		 3.67
> 		   .		  .
> 		   .		  .
> 		   F		 0.00
> 
> 	Now another table holds grades for a student.  Those grades are
> entered by a letter, but I need to compute the quality points (credit hours
> * grade) by looking up the corresponding Letter ==> Number grade.  I have
> tried something like this:
> 
> 		ENGL1011
> 	      ------------
> 
> 		(Number IN Letter_Grades WHERE Letter = ENGL1011)
> 
> 	but this causes the column to be test field holding the above
> string.  Is what I need impossible???
> 
> Bryon Lape
Yes. What might work is a view: SELECT student.*, number from student, 
letter_grades where student.letter = grade.letter
I'm using Rbase in our DBMS class here.
Rob R.