Re: SQL : subtotals and total

[CRPence <CRPbottle@xxxxxxxxx>]

  FWiW:

  The claim was made that the SELECT query would give "subtotals by 
SSLMNV _followed by_ a grand total" which clearly implied a perceived 
ordering; i.e. something _followed by_ something.  My statement that 
"without an explicit request to ORDER BY, there is nothing for sure to 
be _followed by_ anything" was an attempt to imply that any perceived 
ordering was not ensured, since ordering [of a set] can not be assumed.

  In reading the opening text again, I see the intent is for the SELECT 
query to be used in a CREATE VIEW, so an ORDER BY is not even an option. 
 However for the alluded as desirable final results [which is shown as 
an apparent ordered set of rows], *that* will require an ORDER BY on 
SELECT FROM the VIEW, to ensure that the subtotal /level/ with its 
summary Total will appear where expected.

  Given as expected output:
   ID  Product  Level    Total
    1    A          1        2
    1    A          2        6
    1    A                   8

  To effect the above as ordered, the expression CAST(NULL AS datatype) 
might be a better choice than using the literal _' '_ to denote the 
'grand total' row.  That is because the 0x40 space character will 
collate before the digits as Level in an ascending sort, but the NULL 
value will collate after both blanks & digits.

Regards, Chuck

David FOXWELL wrote:
> Thanks Brigitta, although I didn't need any sorting.
>
> CRPence wrote:
> > > > Without an explicit request to ORDER BY, there is nothing for
>>>> sure to be /followed by/ anything, regardless of how many times
> > > > the given SELECT may *appear* to effect some perceived ordering.
>
> > David FOXWELL wrote:
> > > What you say?
>
> Birgitta Hauser wrote:
> > If you need a predefined sequence in your result set, you need to 
> > add an order by clause.  <<SNIP>>