> Splitting locations into subsets (like 2,2,3) doesn't work > because it is possible that low values in one location can be offset by > high values in another location, and still result in an excellent combo. > > The good news is these suggestions got me thinking outside > the box. I think I can program a modified brute-force that bypasses > large numbers of combos early. It might still be too large/slow, so I'd be > interested in finding more info about these "smarter algorithms" in option
Could you define an view with a calculated field, say, 2 * a1 + 6 * a2 + 3 * a3, and then use this aggregate to score the individual rows? I haven't looked at the exact nature of the problem, but if you're multiplying a table by itself, it may be worth redefining the problem in terms of a simple ranking algorithm, define a column to calculate this, then sort by that column. Best regards, Ben Stewart -- Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty. Ltd. Engineering Quality Services, Student Software Engineer (RBAU/EQS4) Locked Bag 66 - Clayton South, VIC 3169 - AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 3 9541-7002 Fax: +61 3 9541-7700 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.bosch.com.au/ ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 2: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
