Strange SQL Problem

Question

I'm having a really strange problem and I hope someone here can explain why this is happening:
I run this query, it should only return segment2 if the first character is alpha and the 2nd character is number.
SELECT
gcc.segment2
,SUBSTR(apps.gl_flexfields_pkg.get_description_sql( gcc.chart_of_accounts_id,2,gcc.segment2),1,40) segment2_desc
FROM gl_code_combinations gcc
WHERE (REGEXP_LIKE(substr(segment2, 1,1), '^[a-zA-Z]*$') AND
SUBSTR(segment2, 2,1) NOT LIKE '%[^a-zA-Z]%');
So it returns the correct results segment along with the description:
X01234
X12345
X54321
etc.
Run same query with enabled _flag added to where clause and expressions don’t work:
SELECT
gcc.segment2
,SUBSTR(apps.gl_flexfields_pkg.get_description_sql( gcc.chart_of_accounts_id,2,gcc.segment2),1,40) segment2_desc
FROM gl_code_combinations gcc
WHERE (REGEXP_LIKE(substr(segment2, 1,1), '^[a-zA-Z]*$') AND
SUBSTR(segment2, 2,1) NOT LIKE '%[^a-zA-Z]%')
AND gcc.enabled_flag = 'Y';
Returns a list of just one segment value with it's description:
DT101
DT101
etc.
Why is this happening? I'm intending to use this query in a value set. Just trying it out in Toad and SQL Developer right now.

Answer 1

Hi,
MinnieB wrote:
I'm having a really strange problem and I hope someone here can explain why this is happening:
I run this query, it should only return segment2 if the first character is alpha and the 2nd character is number.
SELECT
gcc.segment2
,SUBSTR(apps.gl_flexfields_pkg.get_description_sql( gcc.chart_of_accounts_id,2,gcc.segment2),1,40) segment2_desc
FROM gl_code_combinations gcc
WHERE (REGEXP_LIKE(substr(segment2, 1,1), '^[a-zA-Z]*$') AND
SUBSTR(segment2, 2,1) NOT LIKE '%[^a-zA-Z]%');
So it returns the correct results segment along with the description:
X01234
X12345
X54321
etc.
Run same query with enabled _flag added to where clause and expressions don’t work:
SELECT
gcc.segment2
,SUBSTR(apps.gl_flexfields_pkg.get_description_sql( gcc.chart_of_accounts_id,2,gcc.segment2),1,40) segment2_desc
FROM gl_code_combinations gcc
WHERE (REGEXP_LIKE(substr(segment2, 1,1), '^[a-zA-Z]*$') AND
SUBSTR(segment2, 2,1) NOT LIKE '%[^a-zA-Z]%')
AND gcc.enabled_flag = 'Y';
Returns a list of just one segment value with it's description:
DT101
DT101
etc.
Why is this happening? The value you're displaying is not the same as the value used in the regular expressions. The function get_description might return 'DT101' when its 3rd argument (segement2) is something like 'T101'.
I hope this answers your question.
If not, post a little sample data (CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements, relevant columns only) for all tables involved, CREATE FUNCTION statements for any functions needed, and also post the results you want from that data.
Feel free to simplify the problem. It looks like this whol;e question hinges on gcc.enabled_flag, gcc.segment2 and the value that get_description returns when that segment2 is an argument. In that case, you can post CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements for a single table with 3 columns: enabled_flag, segment2, and f (which is the same as your function results).
Explain, using specific examples, how you get those results from that data.
Always say which version of Oracle you're using (e.g., 11.2.0.2.0).
See the forum FAQ {message:id=9360002}
Edited by: Frank Kulash on Mar 1, 2013 11:19 AM
Apparantly, I mis-read the problem. The reply above is appropriate for a question that makes sense, not what was posted. My apologies.