The MySQL online documentation doesn't include a MINUS command, just a
bunch of reference to minus signs (-).
Thankfully, there's more than one way to do this!

Also: having these handy new tools, I'm revisiting some old, cludgy
code, and I wonder if it's possible to use LIKE with the results of a
subquery, eg.:
SELECT * FROM table WHERE ip [NOT LIKE ANYTHING IN] (SELECT ip_range
FROM known_ips)
where [NOT LIKE ANYTHING IN] is probably some different wording.

I have script that combs through our logs to weed out spiders, bots and
whatnot, and it references a table full of known good IPs that are
definitely real users. Right now I have this hideous long query that
includes a "WHERE ip not like '136.227.%' and ip not like '123.345.%'
and...". If there's a way to similarly slim down this statement, I would
love to find it.

I have a feeling the SQL has much vaster powers than I know how to harness!

thanks,
Ken

Jonathan Gorman wrote:
Last I checked MySQL doesn't support MINUS, but it's been a few years
since I used it.  I vaguly remember talk about the developers planning on
adding it.  I took a quick glance at the docs, but I can't seem to find
anything one way or another.  Is it in one of the later versions of
MySQL?


On Fri, 26 Jan 2007, Jeffrey Barnett wrote:

You have gotten a lot of suggestions, but here is one more.

select * from lib_books where good_thing = 'TRUE'
MINUS
select * from lib_books where bad_thing = 'TRUE'

I think MINUS is faster than JOIN.

Other SET OPERATIONS include UNION and INTERSECT.

Set operations require that the underlying result sets be "compatible":
Same number of columns.
Corresponding columns have matching datatypes.


Ken Irwin wrote:
Hi all,

Thanks for these myriad responses! I've gotten at least three distinct
approaches to try. I knew there had to be a better way.

your sql-fu is appreciated!

joys
Ken


--
Ken Irwin
Reference Librarian
Thomas Library, Wittenberg University

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