Opinion on duplicate values

From: Kimberly Smith <kimberly.smith_at_gmd.fujitsu.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2001 13:15:20 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.002ACAEE.20010206131737@fatcity.com>

There is a coder here who has a lot of code that goes like this: PROCEDURE fsf IS
-- declare some stuff

BEGIN
  INSERT into a table
EXCEPTION
  WHEN DUP_VAL_ON_INDEX THEN
    NULL; -- or it actually performs an update END fsf;

It is quite a legitimate thing that there could be duplicates because of the fact that data is being read out of files, etc. I do not know if its the norm or the unusual.

If I was coding it and I new there was a possibility of duplicates and I either did not want to insert it or wanted to update the record instead I would check the database first via a SELECT and then base my code on what got returned.

Is one really any better then the other. I am kind of against letting ORA errors being raised on purpose. Its one thing if something goes wrong but this is expected. Which would be harder on the database? They both have to get the data from disk (or memory as the case may be).

Kimberly Smith
EDS
Fujitsu/GMD
21015 SE Stark St
Gresham, OR
97030
Phone: (503) 669-6050
Fax : (503) 669-5705

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Author: Kimberly Smith
INET: kimberly.smith_at_gmd.fujitsu.com

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