Help with sql logic

Question

I have two tables some_table1 and some_table2
desc some_table1
Name Type
ID NOT NULL VARCHAR2(16)
NAME VARCHAR2(25)
desc some_table2
Name Type
ID NOT NULL VARCHAR2(16)
STATUS VARCHAR(20);
The requirement is to concatenate INATIVE status value to ID with status = 'INACTIVE' in some_table2.
eg if id in some_table1 and some_table2 = 1 and status in some_table2 = 'INACTIVE', I will have to append
'INACTIVE' || some_table1 name, the question is some_table1 have a lots of names that the length is already 25
characters, the requirement want Inative||' '||name inrespective of the name length, I am not allow to increase the name datatype length , but can reduce name to allow for the Inactive||' '||
declare
cursor c1 IS
select cst1.id,cst1.name,cst2.status
from some_table1 cst1, some_table2 cst2
where cst1.orgid = cst2.orgid
and cst2.status = 'INACTIVE';
c1_data c1%rowTYpe;
BEGIN
OPEN c1;
LOOP
FETCH C INTO c1_data ;
EXIT WHEN C1%NOTFOUND;
UPDATE some_table1
SET NAME = c1_data.status||' '|| c1_data.name
where id = c1_data.id;
END LOOP;
CLOSE;
END;
ORA-12899: value too large for column "TEST"."ID"."NAME" (actual: 34, maximum: 25)
I want to be able to fit the update in inrespctive of the name length, I need a logic to truncate the name so as not to exceed the maximum size.
Thank you.

Answer 1

I found the solution. sometable2.status||' '||substr(sometable1.name,1,25-9) since inactive with a space is 9 xters.
Thank you everyone.
Edited by: Ade2 on Feb 11, 2009 5:26 PM