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From: emuleomo@yes.rutgers.edu (Emuleomo)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: How do you...
Message-ID: <Mar.29.11.23.19.1989.11186@yes.rutgers.edu>
Date: 29 Mar 89 16:23:22 GMT
References: <1707@anasaz.UUCP>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 25

It seems that the answer to your problem will be to 

1) create an index on the last names 
2) Make sure you have a serial fld in your table
3) write the following queries


 declare cusrs1 cursor for
 select * from tab1 where last_name >= :last_name
 for update;

  /* 'for update' gaurantees row-level locking!! */

 open curs1;

 repeat
 fetch next curs1 into :serial_fld :last_name_fld  etc... ;
 until(enough_records_fetched || SQLNOTFOUND);

 Now, to find out if any particular record still exists, all you need to
 do is access it via its serial fld.

 -- Emuleomo O.O. 
 Systems Automation.
 Now to find out