Combining two tables using SQL-SELECT 1

[AndrewMozley]

I have two tables with the same record structure : ENTS with 1235 records and ARCS with 16,800 records. How can I use SELECT SQL to create a single cursor with all 18035 records.

I realise there is some information in the VFP Help files, but if anyone has written or can recommend a short guide to the very basic features of SELECT-SQL in VFP, with a a few simple examples, that would be very helpful.

Thanks - Andrew Mozley

 

[mJindrova]

Hi,

[pre]SELECT * FROM ENTS UNION ALL SELECT * FROM ARCS INTO CURSOR result[/pre]

mJindrova

 

[AndrewMozley]

Thank you very much, mJindrova - Andrew

 

[Chris Miller]

You explicitly asked for SQL, and there's nothing to add to that.

I welcome the interest in SQL, but what's more important in a datbase system than the discussion about xbase commands vs sql is that same structured data points out it should be in one table, so why would you not merge the tables by APPEND? You could append one to the other table. The two names point out that one group of records is about different things. I don't think you mean Ents from the world of Lord of the Rings, but if there is a general difference between the one and the other then you could record that in a new logical field.

Chriss

 

[GriffMG]

You might not use append if the structures were different - you could end up with just a bunch of blank records or ruin
the referential integrity if you had duplicate keys.


Regards

Griff
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[Chris Miller]

Good advice, at least about the duplicate keys.

I have two tables with the same record structure

Well, when you want to add a field like lArc .T. for all ARCS records and .F. foir all ENTS, you'd create an empty table with that field as last field, DEFAULT .F. or no default, which causes .F. as default anyway, no primary key constraint, append in the ARCS records and REPLACE ALL lArc WITH .T., then append all ENTS records. And finally either renumber all IDs, if there is such a field or introduce one and add in the primary key constraint or candidate key for free tables can have no primary key constraint.

Chriss