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Databases Reporting with SQL Working with Text Creating Excerpts

Posted by Jack Donaldson
Jack Donaldson
2,846 Points

Unable to complete the objective. Received, "Bummer: Expecting results like L Chalkley' not 'L Chalkley'."

The video before the question shows using functions like SUBSTR to receive specific starting positions and lengths of column data. After implementing the same functions into the objective, an error occurs stating, Bummer: Expecting results like 'L Chalkley' not 'L Chalkley'. The last name has been added after and in the same alias however, the correct solution is unclear to me. Changed the quotation marks and single quotation marks for the alias but the same error occurs. The current query's not working,

SELECT SUBSTR(first_name, 1, 1) || " " || last_name AS initial FROM customers; SELECT SUBSTR(first_name, 1, 1) || " " AS initial, last_name FROM customers; SELECT SUBSTR(first_name, 1, 1) || " " AS initial, SUBSTR(last_name, 1, LENGTH(last_name)), FROM customers;

1 Answer

Mark Sebeck
MOD
Mark Sebeck
Treehouse Moderator 38,304 Points
Mark Sebeck
Mark Sebeck
Treehouse Moderator 38,304 Points

Jack you are really close. First I'm not sure why you have 2 selects. You can easily do the task with one of the selects you have. Second you don't need || " " ||. You are not outputting a string. You simply need to select the data.

The important part is you have the SUBSTR correct. So without giving you the answer do something like:

select first_name as alias, last_name from customers

for first name put what you have for SUBSTR and for alias put the alias name initial.

Hope this helps Jack and keep at it!