All:
Q: What's my best option for concatenating text strings of radically
variable length within a computed column?
Considerations:
1. Input columns are always TEXT.
2. This is not permitted within a computed column (schematically):
Column4(VARCHAR) = ( Column1(TEXT) + Column2(TEXT) + Column3(VARCHAR)
)
3. Nor is this:
Column4(VARCHAR) = ( Column1(TEXT) + Column2(TEXT) + Column3(TEXT) )
4. I can guess a range of assembled string lengths from historic data
patterns, but enjoy no assurance that today's combined text-column
widths will do the trick in future.
5. Two biases at the outset, both of which I'll happily discard:
a. An assumption that VARCHAR is the appropriate data type for the
final product;
b. Defining text columns wide enough to handle likely "exceptions"
wastes an incredible amount of space.
Any perspective much appreciated.
Bruce Chitiea
SafeSectors, Inc.
909.238.9012 mobile
