[Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode

[jslynn at bigpond.com]

Postcodes should be text. No arithmetical operations are performed on them and, as Andrew has pointed out, some overseas post codes include alpha characters as well (have a look at the UK for examples). The final clincher, for me, is postcodes with a leading '0' don't work as numbers - the leading '0' will be dropped as a number but not as text.

Sorting and filtering still work fine on text.

Jeff Lynn,
IT support,
Camberwell High School.


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From: Andrew Shortell <shortell at get2me.net>
To: itapps at edulists.com.au;
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
Have you looked at northern territory postcodes?
E.g. 0800 for Darwin
Then look at overseas postcodes... E.g. Canada two digits, two letters two digits
E.g. UK two letters, two digits, two letters
Unless of course you want your software only work in Victoria?
Also when doing Victorian remember that Vic postcodes also include 8000 to 8999 and NSW 9000 to 9999 .. Students are interested to discover why
Andrew
Andrew Shortell
Educator
CRC Melton
shortell at get2me.net (lists)
andrew at get2me.net (personal)
@acsbear (twitter)
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Skype: acshortell
Sent from my iPad
On 28/05/2013, at 7:47 AM, Athena Spyratos <SP at boxhillhs.vic.edu.au> wrote:
> Fellow IT teachers.
> Do we declare the data type for Postcode as number or text? In database, if we apply a validation rule for a Victorian postcode as being between 3000 and 3999, then we declare it as a number. However going over one of the past exam multiple choice questions, the answer they wanted for the data type for Postcode was text. Which answer are the examiners looking for?
> Athena
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