Re: [SQL] To create the query for a select where one is NOT in the other

On Sat, 19 Sep 1998, Karl Denninger wrote:

> Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 17:55:14 -0500
> From: Karl Denninger <karl@denninger.net>
> To: pgsql-sql@postgreSQL.org
> Subject: [SQL] To create the query for a select where one is NOT in the other
>
> I want to specify the following SELECT and can't figure it out:
>
>     Table "a" and table "b" have identical schemas
>
>     I want to select all the records in "a" in which a key field in "a"
>     does NOT have a corresponding row in "b".
>
>     I know how to do this if I want the opposite, that is, if I want all
>     the rows in "a" in which the key IS present in "b" this works:
>
>     select a.field1, a.field2 from t1 a, t2 b where a.field1 = b.field1;

I think what you need to do is use a subquery:

select key_field from table1 where key_field NOT IN (select key_field from
table2) ;

The subquery should select a list of all the keys in table 2, and then no
key from talbe 1 that matches anything in this list will be included in
your search results.

Make sense??

eric

>
> However, the intuitive modification of this (change "=" to "<>") produces
> a monster result in which each row in "a" other than the one which matches
> gets output for each instance of "b" (which if you think about it does
> make sense).
>
> How do I structure an SQL statement to get the desired rows returned?
>
> --
> --
> Karl Denninger (karl@denninger.net)
>
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> ________________________________________________________________________
>
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> during the Nixon investigations
>
>
>

_______________________
Eric McKeown
ericm@palaver.net
http://www.palaver.net