Re: left join limit 1

"Bill Karwin" <bill@karwin.com> wrote in message
news:e045b2017cl@enews2.newsguy.com...
> <a> wrote in message news:cfmdnebNfKkX_LjZRVn-hg@comcast.com...
>> Thank your for your reply. Let me clarify my work a bit. I have 3
>> tables.
>>
>> Company: company_id, company_name
>> Person: person_id, company_id, person_name
>> Location: location_id, company_id, location_name
>>
>> sometimes there is no person or location entry and sometimes tehre are
>> person/lcoation entries per company.
>>
>> I use a "SELECT DISTINCT company.company_name, person._person_name,
>> location.location_name
>> LEFT JOIN person ON company.company_id = person.company_id
>> LEFT JOIN location ON company.company_id = location .company_id
>> ORDER BY company.compay_name"
>>
>> This gives me all the data I want, however it gives me too much, when
>> there are two entries under person, or location w/ the same company_id.
>> For my query, i just want to know, one person and location entry per
>> company, basically, only row per company entry.
>>
>> Does your example work in this case?
>
> Probably the solution I gave is applicable.
>
> But you must specify which one person and which one company do you want to
> display.
> You mentioned "first instance," but how do you measure that? Which one is
> "first?"
> Alphabetically by person_name/location_name? The one with most matching
> entries? Numerically by person_id/location_id?

It doesn't matter which one. I'm thinking if you didn't specify, it would
pick the first one entered.