Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!xanth!lll-winken!uunet!bsadrc!carver
From: carver@bsadrc.UUCP (Darrel R. Carver)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Informix sql sum/group by question
Message-ID: <131@bsadrc.UUCP>
Date: 21 Mar 89 02:54:45 GMT
Reply-To: carver@bsadrc.UUCP (Darrel R. Carver)
Distribution: na
Organization: CommTek Publishing Company
Lines: 27

I have a order entry application written in Informix SQL.  The cash
transaction system has a table that looks somewhat like this

	create table tr_dat (
		tr_num	serial(1000),	
		tr_vendor integer,	{ link to vendor table }
		tr_date	date,		{ Date of transaction	}
		tr_amt	money(5,2)	{ Amount of transaction }
	);

I wish to sum up and display all the transactions for a particular
vendor with the following statement

	select sum(amt), amt from tr_dat where tr_vendor = 5;

Informix gives me an error saying the amt must be in a group by
statement, i.e.

	select sum(amt), amt from tr_dat where tr_vendor = 5 group by amt;

My question is why?  Why should I have to have the amt in a group by
clause?
-- 
Darrel R Carver	            -	A clever quote goes here.  Have we got any in
CommTek Publishing Company  -	the unquotable quotes?
Vienna, Va  22180           -
uunet!bsadrc!carver	    -			Mr. Bear