[Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
Robert Timmer-Arends
timmer at westnet.com.au
Thu May 30 18:04:01 EST 2013
Hello all
just to throw in my two cents worths
Someone wrote that the intended use ought to be the guide, not a blanket rule - in generaI I would agree.
But,
1. if I store a postcode or phone number as text I preserve its formatting. If for some reason I decide I want to do a numeric calculation involving the 'number', it is an easy matter to call up a function which translates numeric-like text into an actual number
2. on the other hand, if I store my postcode or phone number as a number because I may want to perform some kind of numeric calculation with it, then I have to build into my solution some knowledge about the formatting that has been lost, and that could be a quite a bit of (needless) programming if the 'number' has a complex format.
3.and finally, text is the most generic data type there is, so it should be least likely to require massive overhaul if there are future changes/additions to whatever coding system is being used, and it should also be most amenable to accomodating exceptions that might occur within a coding system.
Regards
Robert T-A
----- Original Message -----
From: Peter Langham
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
Text allows us to store postcodes and telephone numbers whilst controlling the formatting of our data; preceeding zero for postcodes as well symbols and spaces for phone numbers.
Queries on postcodes can still be completed if the data type is text.
"3805" will return 3805
"3805" - "5" will return 3800
(3805 - 5) will return 3800
>="3803" And <="3807" will return anyone with the postcode 3803 to 3807
>=(3805-2) And <=(3805+2) will return anyone with the postcode 3803 to 3807
Storing as Number would allow us to perform a more complex calculation on our data - but I can't think of any reason that we'd need to perform a complex calculation on either postcode or telephone numbers.
Peter Langham
Narre Warren South P-12 College
On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 9:06 AM, Christophersen, Paula P <christophersen.paula.p at edumail.vic.gov.au> wrote:
Oh I'm reading with interest. This is of particular importance for examination purposes - will take appropriate action.
Regards
paula
Paula Christophersen
Curriculum Manager, Digital Technologies
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority
2 Lonsdale Street
MELBOURNE 3000
(03) 9032 1724
0407 043 110
-----Original Message-----
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark Scott
Sent: Thursday, 30 May 2013 8:33 AM
To: 'Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
You reading this Paula?
Any comments?
Mark Scott
Luther College
Mark Scott
Daily Administrator
Plymouth Road
Croydon Hills Victoria 3136
Telephone (03) 9724 2000
Direct Line (03) 9724 2023
www.luther.vic.edu.au
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
This email and any attachments may contain privileged and confidential information.
If you are not the intended recipient you may not distribute or reproduce this email or attachments. If you have received this message in error please notify us by return mail.
-----Original Message-----
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Anthony Sullivan
Sent: Thursday, 30 May 2013 8:24 AM
To: itapps at edulists.com.au
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
Maybe they should
But, in both recent IT Apps & SD exams there have been questions based on postcodes that involved range checks - which indicates to me that for the purpose of VCE IT - postcodes should maybe treated as numbers...
Anthony Sullivan
Head of Information Technology
20 Wooralla Drive, Mt. Eliza, Vic, 3930
T: 03 9788 7796 | F: 03 9787 7646 | asullivan at tps.vic.edu.au | www.tps.vic.edu.au
Please consider the environment before printing this email, you will save 5g of paper, 250mL of water and at least 35gm of CO2 This message, including any attachments, is provided without responsibility in law for its accuracy or otherwise and without assumption of a duty of care by the school. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure material in this e-mail message is free from computer viruses or other defects, the attached files are provided, and may only be used, on the basis that the user assumes responsibility for the use of the material transmitted. This e-mail is intended for the use of the named individual or entity and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any dissemination, distribution or copying by anyone other than the intended recipient of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If this e-mail has been received in error then please notify The Peninsula School immediately and destroy the original message.
-----Original Message-----
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of itapps-request at edulists.com.au
Sent: Thursday, 30 May 2013 6:05 AM
To: itapps at edulists.com.au
Subject: itapps Digest, Vol 99, Issue 29
Send itapps mailing list submissions to
itapps at edulists.com.au
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/itapps
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
itapps-request at edulists.com.au
You can reach the person managing the list at
itapps-owner at edulists.com.au
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of itapps digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Re: Data type for postcode (Mark Scott)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 30 May 2013 06:03:39 +1000
From: Mark Scott <msc at luther.vic.edu.au>
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
To: "Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List"
<itapps at edulists.com.au>
Message-ID:
<8EB7758DBE426346943A36370038F9B90124009477FE at lcexch02.luther.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
And that should be the end of the argument.
Postcodes are entered as text not numbers.
Mark Scott
Luther College
Mark Scott
Daily Administrator
Luther
Plymouth Road
Croydon Hills Victoria 3136
Luther
Telephone (03) 9724 2000
Direct Line (03) 9724 2023
www.luther.vic.edu.au<http://www.luther.vic.edu.au/>
[cid:luther_college_email8e06bb] <http://www.luther.vic.edu.au/>
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
This email and any attachments may contain privileged and confidential information.
If you are not the intended recipient you may not distribute or reproduce this email or attachments. If you have received this message in error please notify us by return mail.
________________________________
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Wayne Eglinton [wayne.eglinton at ntschools.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 9:15 PM
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
FYI
living in the NT ... I'm fully aware of the 0 lead character in postcodes. Too bad web-developers don't consider using text for post/zipcodes fields ... often we can't subscribe etc... It can seriously be a pain - and we just go to another website... bad for their business!!!
Food for thought for you & your students.
Regards,
Wayne Eglinton
OLSH College
P.O. Box 2508
Traeger Ave.
Alice Springs NT 0871
P 08 8950 8555
M 0406 357 972
________________________________
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Stuart Walkerden (STUW) [stuw at huntingtower.vic.edu.au]
Sent: 28 May 2013 13:20
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
I reckon if it looks like a number, treat it as a number and use a number field type. Whether you perform calculations on it or not is irrelevant. I have always told my students to use postcode as a number and phone as text to allow for leading 0. I wasn?t aware of NT postcodes. I may have to change my line.
Stuart Walkerden
Huntingtower
From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Athena Spyratos
Sent: Tuesday, 28 May 2013 7:47 AM
To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: [Year 12 IT Apps] Data type for postcode
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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/itapps/attachments/20130530/4be33c97/attachment.html
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: luther_college_email8e06bb
Type: image/png
Size: 12076 bytes
Desc: luther_college_email8e06bb
Url : http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/itapps/attachments/20130530/4be33c97/luther_college_email8e06bb.png
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
itapps mailing list
itapps at edulists.com.au
http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/itapps
End of itapps Digest, Vol 99, Issue 29
**************************************
_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc <br> http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc <br> http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
Important - This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br>
http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc <br>
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________
http://www.edulists.com.au - FAQ, resources, subscribe, unsubscribe
IT Applications Mailing List kindly supported by
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/infotech/itapplications3-4.html - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority <br>
http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association Inc <br>
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/ict/schools - Swinburne University
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/itapps/attachments/20130530/3b43d90e/attachment-0001.html
More information about the itapps
mailing list