PARADOX COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUERY

   1.  Can you alternate order between different tables in ASK?

       No, Paradox creates the fields  in the answer table in the
       same order as they appear in the query.  One way of having
       fields that alternate from different tables is  to perform
       the first  query and then, assuming the default setting is
       IMAGEORDER, change the order of the ANSWER table fields to
       the  order  you  wish  and  then check all the fields  and
       process the query.  Voila!


   2.  During an outer join, can I use more than 2 tables?

       If you are trying to do an outer join  using  one  example
       element  through more than two tables,  you  will  get  an
       error message.  The alternate  method  to  get  around the
       error is to actually define  a  different  set  of example
       elements between  a previously used table and a table that
       has no example element as yet.  For example:

       TABLE1 ---  _a     TABLE2 ---  _a!,_b    TABLE3 ---  _b


   3.  How  do  I  find  all  the  records  associated  with  one
       particular month?

       The simplest way to extract all the dates for one month is
       to  fill in the day area  with  wildcard  characters  (ie.
       4/../89).    This  also works to extract all records for a
       particular month in all years (ie.  4/../..).


   4.  How can I add particular  fields from one table to another
       table?

       By  placing example elements in both  the  fields  in  the
       source table as well as the fields in the target table and
       then placing the INSERT statement in the  leftmost column,
       Paradox will insert the  values  from  the source table as
       new  values  in  the target table.  By removing the INSERT
       command  and  adding  the  CHANGETO  command  before  each
       example  element, Paradox will change the existing  record
       values to those of the source table.


   5.  How do I add days to an  existing  date  so  I  can  see a
       future date?

       Example - place  the  following  in  the  appropriate DATE
       field:












       check,_a,calc _a + xx         where  xx is the future # of
       days.


   6.  I  cannot  seem  to  concatenate  my city, state  and  zip
       together without excess spaces.

       Place example elements in each of the corresponding fields
       and then use a concatenating  expression  with  spaces and
       commas added within double quotes.


   7.  How can I find fields with duplicate values?

       Check the fields in which  you want to look for duplicates
       and use the qualifier count > 1 in a unique field.


   8.  Does it make any difference if the order of the  tables on
       the workspace is not the same as the defined order?

       Depending upon the  setting  in the CCP under DEFAULTS, if
       the setting is in TABLEORDER then no matter how the fields
       are moved in the  query  the  answer  will remain in table
       order.  If the  setting  in CCP is to IMAGEORDER, then the
       order of the fields in a query decides the order  in which
       the fields will be  sorted,  and  the  order in which they
       will appear in the answer table.


   9.  How can I include the average of a group  based  upon  the
       overall total within a report?

       By  calculating  the  total  of  the  particular  field in
       question in a query outside of the report and then placing
       a keyed dummy field in  the resulting ANSWER table as well
       as a dummy  field  in  the  original table, the sum can be
       linked into each record of the original inside the report.
       By dummy field, I am referring to a short (A1)  field that
       contains nothing but blanks.


  10.  How do I set the crosstab for a graph?

       The  simplest way to accomplish this  feat  is  to  select
       <I>mage,  <G>raphs,  <C>rosstabs.  Then,  select  the  row
       labels  that you want to use, the  field  for  the  column
       labels, and,  finally, select the values to be placed onto
       the graph.


  11.  How do I add  a  specific character to the beginning of my
       text field?




                              - 2 -








       Go to the field you wish to change and  place  an  example
       element,  then  a   comma,  then  the  CHANGETO  statement
       followed by the character within double quotes, and then a
       plus sign followed by the example element.


  12.  How can I find and replace values within certain records?

       Place the values to select upon in the  proper  fields and
       then issue the CHANGETO command  in the fields you wish to
       change.


  13.  How do I delete records with specific values?

       Place the delete statement  in  the  leftmost field of the
       query, then place the values upon which to select in their
       respective fields.


  14.  How do I split a large table into several smaller ones?

       After making sure that  you  have  a common field checked,
       simply check the fields you want to appear  in  a specific
       table. Repeat the process for any other segments.


  15.  I use the QuerySave, now how do I play it?

       After selecting <S>cript, <P>lay, <S>criptname, when query
       appears on the workspace, press <F2>, Do_It!


  16.  How  do  I  calculate the sum of all my records, including
       duplicates?

       By using the calc sum  all statement, the sum includes the
       duplicates.


  17.  When  running  a  query on a relatively small table, I run
       out  of  disk  space, when there should be more than three
       times the amount of space used by the  table  available on
       my hard disk.

       In  cases  where  a  query  takes more disk space than  it
       should, the most common problem is a corrupt  table.   Run
       TUTILITY on the table.


  18.  How do I use a tilde variable?

       Simply create a query with  a variable name in the desired
       field, but make sure the  variable is preceded by a tilde.



                              - 3 -








       You can then save the query as a script  and  precede  the
       playing of the script with prompt and accept statements to
       supply a value to the variable.


  19.  How do I get my find queries to run faster?

       Paradox will  actually  place  its  own  QuerySpeedups  on
       fields it  decides  will  benefit  by  a  secondary index.
       However,  you  can  place  secondary  indices  on  a table
       through the <T>ools, <Q>uerySpeedup  options  or  by using
       the INDEX command through a PAL script.


  20.  Why can't I use a CHANGETO with a DATE field?

       The problem is not  that  you cannot use a CHANGETO with a
       DATE field, it is  that  when  you  subtract one date from
       another the outcome is NUMERIC not DATE.






































                              - 4 -