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In microsoftspeak date/time is a single data type. Date/times are
stored as a decimal value giving the days from jan 1 1900<br>
the bit after the decimal point is then formatted in hours/min/sec or
whatever you wish.<br>
ie date/times are stored as a single floating point number which is
then formatted as date and/or time - this is much more efficient than
storing as text<br>
<br>
Mike Brookes<br>
Chief cook and bottle washer Copperfield College<br>
<br>
On 12/04/2010 2:07 PM, Mark KELLY wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:h2v641c8bc71004112107j5913eaf7le59e95efc5a5a218@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">Hi all. Welcome back to work. <br>
<br>
1. Need a bit of help reading a database KK dotpoint - "data formats,
including limited length, unlimited length, <b>incremental</b> (text);
integer, auto string number, long (number); date, 24-hour clock
(date/time); dollar (currency); true and false (representation of
Boolean logic)"<br clear="all">
<br>
I have not come across 'incremental' text fields before. Googling
suggests it might perhaps be referring to the auto-entry of
incrementing serial numbers into a field?<br>
<br>
And later it refers to 'auto string number' - is this an auto-entered
numeric serial number? In which case, what does 'auto <b>string</b>
number' mean?<br>
<br>
N.B. the term '<b>incremental' </b>did not appear in the draft study
design. Also, the mysterious 'auto string number' did not appear:
instead there was the clearer 'auto incremented number'... is that what
the accredited SD meant to say?<br>
<br>
Any suggestions, anyone?<br>
<br>
--------------<br>
<br>
2. While I'm on this KK, I'm wondering about the usage of the term
'data format'. I've believed data format refers to the way data is <b>presented</b>
(e.g. a date could be shown as text or in a calendar control; numbers
can be formatted with different number of decimal places, thousands
separators, right justified etc).<br>
<br>
But KK9 refers to things like integer and long as being data formats
rather than data types, which I'd call them since they define the
storage needs of the data rather the way it is formatted in output.
Much the same applies to limited & unlimited length text fields:
they do not differ in appearance, they are fundamentally different
types of storage entities.<br>
<br>
And date and time are listed as formats of date/time. Again, I would
argue that they are distinctly different field types rather than
display variants. In Filemaker, my primary RDBMS tool, there are
different field types for date, time and timestamp (a combination of
date and time in one container). Of course dates and times can be
formatted in various ways in output, but they are not stored the same...<br>
<br>
I am happy with the other data formats mentioned in KK9 such as
currency being a special format for numbers, but in the previous
dotpoint currency is also mandated as a data <b>type</b>. This may be
because Access confuses things by having both a currency <b>format</b>
and a currency <b>datatype</b>) - I'm looking at looking at <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.everythingaccess.com/tutorials.asp?ID=Using-the-Currency-field-data-type---without-the-hassle">http://www.everythingaccess.com/tutorials.asp?ID=Using-the-Currency-field-data-type---without-the-hassle</a>.
Filemaker does not have a currency data type... do other RDBMS? I hope
this is not another case of Access parochialism.<br>
<br>
I think we need to be rather careful distinguishing between field <b>types</b>
(U3O2KK8) and field <b>formats</b> (U3O2KK9).<br>
<br>
<br>
-- <br>
Mark Kelly<br>
Manager - Information Systems<br>
McKinnon Secondary College<br>
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia<br>
Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085<br>
School Phone +613 8520 9000<br>
School Fax +613 9578 9253<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au">kel@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au</a><br>
<br>
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