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SQLChess - A tutorial on thinking in sets
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Last Update 2007/5/16 11:07
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Category
Database
SQL Language
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Description
Chess makes a fantastic game for programming examples. You will find hundreds of examples on the internet. Some dedicated to OO patterns, others to algorithms and so forth. Unfortunately, most of these examples do not use a database or if they do, treat the database as nothing more than a storage repository. In this series of articles we will use SQL Server and T-SQL to implement the game of chess with an emphasis on thinking in sets.
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Hits: 61
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Filtering and Grouping: A Comparison of SQL, Linux Scripting, and Ruby
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Last Update 2008/1/30 6:47
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Category
Database
SQL Language
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Database
Oracle
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Programming
Ruby
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Description
In this article you will learn some of the transferable concepts common to Oracle SQL, Linux operating system commands, and scripting. In particular, it will show how to use a "set oriented" way of thinking about problems that involve sets of data that need to be grouped, sorted, and filtered. These operations are familiar to those with a knowledge of SQL but are also often required when using Linux commands and or the Ruby programming language.
I will not an attempt to discuss mathematical set theory in any sort of rigorous disciplined fashion. Instead, all the fuzzy boundaries that exist in human language (and typical business problems) can be found throughout. Oracle SQL provides a much purer way of manipulating sets of data than scripting: each column contains fields of a defined type, and the logical data is handled independently of the underlying physical representation. Data returned from a query is not the same in any formal sense as the output of a shell command. The intent of what follows is pedagogical, to provide some analogies that are familiar to those who know SQL to leverage their problem solving abilities when required to work outside the database. It will provide a different perspective for approaching problems and encourage you to delve into new and unfamiliar areas.
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Hits: 23
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