Re: SQL Serious Challenge # 1 - Probably Not Much Fun

"Michel Cadot" <micadot{at}altern{dot}org> wrote in message news:4052da6a$0$281$636a15ce_at_news.free.fr...
>
> "Howard J. Rogers" <hjr_at_dizwell.com> a écrit dans le message de
> news:40520ee0$0$3957$afc38c87_at_news.optusnet.com.au...
> > Daniel's low-flying one dimensional birds has got me thinking about how
> > useful SQL can get.
> >
> > Suppose a table that contains just words up to, say, 8 characters in
length,
> > minimum length 4. The words could be anything, but let's just suppose
they
> > are composer's name. Hence "BACH" is acceptable, "BRITTEN" is almost
> > perfect, and "STRAVINSKY" is bloody awful and not allowed.
> >
> > OK. Here's the challenge. What would the SQL look like to select these
words
> > at random from the table, and display them randomly packed with other
> > letters, in a 15 x 15 word grid, with the original words being read from
> > left OR right (you know, like in one of those word square games?). One
word
> > per line, but not every line should have a word (such lines to have all
15
> > characters displayed merely at random, therefore).
> >
> > Something like (without doing the entire 15 x 15 thing!!):
> >
> > XFEPBACHUILEEWB
> > BACLNETTIRBORFG
> > etc etc
> >
> > Even harder challenge, I think: what would the SQL look like that allows
the
> > randomly selected words to be read left, right *and up and down* within
the
> > 15 x 15 word square. For example:
> >
> > TFEPBBDHUILEDSB
> > IFEPABHHUXLVOWE
> > RFEPCBRCUIPGEQE
> > BFEPHBHEUIYAEWT
> >
> > Strictly no Java.
>
> PL/SQL allowed?

Oh, I think it would be practically compulsory, wouldn't it?!

Regards
HJR
>
> >
> > Regards
> > HJR
> >
> >
>
>
Received on Sat Mar 13 2004 - 06:08:34 CST