Working with Memo Fields

[sesling]

I have a bit of an issue and need to see if I have any options. The situation is I have two tables in an Oracle Database. There is no way for me to link the tables based on any common data. However, table one contains a text field titled CUST_NAME. The second table contains a memo field titled CUST_INFO. The CUST_INFO field will contain free form text data that the operators enter. However some of the records only contain the customers name. I want to isolate these records with only the customers name so I can link them to table one. I tried to link the two tables between the CUST_NAME and CUST_INFO but I get an error saying I cannot link to a memo field. Do I have any options that will allow me to link these two tables?

[PianoMan64]

I have a bit of an issue and need to see if I have any options. The situation is I have two tables in an Oracle Database. There is no way for me to link the tables based on any common data. However, table one contains a text field titled CUST_NAME. The second table contains a memo field titled CUST_INFO. The CUST_INFO field will contain free form text data that the operators enter. However some of the records only contain the customers name. I want to isolate these records with only the customers name so I can link them to table one. I tried to link the two tables between the CUST_NAME and CUST_INFO but I get an error saying I cannot link to a memo field. Do I have any options that will allow me to link these two tables?

Do you have the ability to create additional fields in the oracle table structure i.e. Permissions to create/edit table structures?

If so, just simply create another field that is the 255 or less that will accomidate the names that you're wanting to collect, and drop them into a VarChar2 field type in Oracle.

Then create a query either in Oracle or Access that will update that new field with the data that you want to extract from the Memo field.

after that, then you can create your relationship between the two tables.

Hope that helps,

Joe P.

[NeoPa]

If that isn't possible, a sneaky SQL trick is to return the data you need in a sub-query and make a linkable field from the memo data (if you can).

See Subqueries in SQL for more info on sub-queries.

[sesling]

Do you have the ability to create additional fields in the oracle table structure i.e. Permissions to create/edit table structures?

If so, just simply create another field that is the 255 or less that will accomidate the names that you're wanting to collect, and drop them into a VarChar2 field type in Oracle.

Then create a query either in Oracle or Access that will update that new field with the data that you want to extract from the Memo field.

after that, then you can create your relationship between the two tables.

Hope that helps,

Joe P.

Unfortunately I do not have the ability to change the table structure. I was able to get the suggestion made by NeoPa to work. Thx for the response.

[NeoPa]

Thanks for letting us know about that Sesling. I wasn't even sure that would work :)