Hi,
I need to query a hold table
that is created from an oracle
database that has a date field
(BEGIN_DATE) in this format mm/dd/yyyy hh24:mi:ss.
The two string variables
I get passed in from the form are in this format mm/dd/yyyy. I tried to format the BEGIN_DATE field in the SQL statement that
creates the hold table but
webfocus doesn't recognize
the sql to_char() function. Does anyone know how I can convert the date
field in my hold table to a
character string that matches the format of the form variables that are being
passed?

SQL SELECT 
DISTINCT E.SNL_ID, E.NAME, A.SD_NUMBER, 
A.ASSIGNMENT_TYPE, A.BEGIN_DATE
>FROM EXTCOPY.PERSON E, SD_ASSIGNMENT A
WHERE E.NAME LIKE '&OTHER.EVAL%'
AND A.ASSIGNMENT_TYPE = '&OTHERTYPE.EVAL'
AND E.SNL_ID = A.ASSIGNMENT_ID;
TABLE ON TABLE HOLD AS HOLDASSIGN 
END JOIN SD_NUMBER IN HOLDASSIGN TO SD_NUMBER IN SD AS J8<br />END
TABLE FILE HOLDASSIGN
PRINT NAME NOPRINT
SD_NUMBER NOPRINT
DESCRIPTIVE_TITLE AS 'Title'
BEGIN_DATE/HMDYY AS 'Begin Date'
WHERE BEGIN_DATE GE '&begdate.eval'
WHERE BEGIN_DATE LE '&enddate.eval'
BY NAME AS 'Name'
BY ASSIGNMENT_TYPE AS 'Assignment Type'
BY SD_NUMBER AS 'SD #'

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Mabel>,

Have you tried using the ORACLE function TO_DATE in your SQL?

Try something like this in your WHERE statement:
fieldname = TO_DATE('&variable','MM/DD/YYYY')

Also I don't know if you just didn't post this part of your code but don't forget the 'SQL SQLORA' at the top of the SQL.

Hi Curtis,
Thanks for the help. It looks like webfocus doesn't recognize the to_date()
function either. However, I
found a solution with the help
of this link. I used the webfocus HDATE() function in a define.
http://techsupport.informationbuilders.com/tech/ibm/ibm_nf_nf751_p1.html
Here it is...

SQL SELECT DISTINCT E.SNL_ID, E.NAME, A.SD_NUMBER, A.ASSIGNMENT_TYPE, 
A.BEGIN_DATE
FROM EXTCOPY.PERSON E, SD_ASSIGNMENT A
WHERE E.NAME LIKE '&OTHER.EVAL%'
AND A.ASSIGNMENT_TYPE = '&OTHERTYPE.EVAL'
AND E.SNL_ID = A.ASSIGNMENT_ID;
TABLE
ON TABLE HOLD AS HOLDASSIGN
END
JOIN SD_NUMBER IN HOLDASSIGN TO 
SD_NUMBER IN SD AS J8<br />END
DEFINE FILE HOLDASSIGN
BEGDATE/MDYY = HDATE(BEGIN_DATE, 'MDYY');<br />END TABLE FILE HOLDASSIGN
PRINT NAME NOPRINT
 SD_NUMBER NOPRINT
DESCRIPTIVE_TITLE AS 'Title'  
BEGIN_DATE NOPRINT
BEGDATE AS 'Begin Date' 
WHERE BEGDATE GE '&begdate'
WHERE BEGDATE LE '&enddate'
BY NAME AS 'Name'
BY ASSIGNMENT_TYPE AS 'Assignment Type'
BY SD_NUMBER AS 'SD #'

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Mabel>,

It's not that WebFOCUS did not recognize the to_date() Oracle function, it was Oracle.I think the syntax should be:

(TO_DATE('&INV_DATE', 'MM-DD-YYYY')

Note the - instead of /

webfocusdev,
Quick question why are you not putting the date selection in your SQL call before you create the hold file?

I would like to do exactly that. However, I am new to webfocus and I couldn't get any of the SQL funtions I normally use to work in webfocus (TO_CHAR(), TO_DATE(), TO_TIMESTAMP()) using the SQL passthru. I've used these functions numerous times before outside of webfocus on oracle databases. However in webfocus, I keep getting unrecognized scalar function errors. I looked in the documentation and they aren't listed as supported scalar functions.

This works without any problems:

-SET &START_DT = &DATEMDYY;
SET SQLENGINE=SQLORA
SQL SET SERVER EQP
SQL
SELECT * FROM EQP.TIME_D WHERE PERIOD_START_DT >= TO_DATE('&START_DT','MM-DD-YYYY');
END

Francis,

Thanks. It looks like I had to add the...

SET SQLENGINE=SQLORA
SQL SET SERVER xxxx

to the top of my SQL statement for it to recognize the functions.