"Isn't that just a join?"

[da]

At the dinner table:

d: What's on your to-do list that you're stressed about? Is there anything I can do to help?

D: [touched] Thanks for asking, but I don't think so. I've got a small pile of things to do for flgbtqc, their mailing list cleaning-up at the top of the list- it's being more complicated than I thought it would be.

d: What's that involve?

D: Mostly, removing 200 names from a list of 900, where we have a separate list of updates for the 200.

d: Isn't that just a join?

D: Well, yes, sort of. The program I wrote does compare the first and second columns in the two lists; but I'm not doing it with SQL, so-

d: [interrupts] I should point out that I've never written a line of SQL in my life. And also, that phrase, "Isn't it just a join," has turned out to be quite useful a few times when I'm talking about databases to people who do understand them.

D: ... [laughs]

d: But you have to admit, it's a useful phrase.


Why yes. Yes, it is. And now we all know your secret. *evil cackle*

Comments

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

I wrote a perl script that doesn't do it properly yet. :)

However, I have just now used comm for the very first time ever (and you may now giggle into your sleeve at people these days who claim to know unix). I may just might be able to save a whack of time overall by comparing those three columns- the output's just a titch more intuitive for this purpose than diff.

*hugs his awk and sort, brings comm into the hug as well*

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

Should I be jealous?

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

*raises eyebrow*

;)