Re: Can't get more than 255 chars out of memo field in Acc

11/27/2002 3:08:35 PM, Jeff Eckermann <jeff_eckermann(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:

>
>--- Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:
<snip>
>> I wonder whether we could/should hack our ODBC
>> driver to report "text"
>> columns as "varchar(n)" (and if so, what n should we
>> use)? Seems like
>> enough people want to use Access that this would be
>> a useful option.

Access only allows text FieldSize properties to be between 0 and 255 so this would be of
limited or no use.

>>
>> regards, tom lane
>
>The problem lies in the Access distinction between
>"text" type, which is fully functional but limited in
>size (the OP's problem), and "memo", which allows much
>more storage, but is limited in functionality: "memo"
>fields cannot be indexed, sorted, grouped by, joined
>against etc.
>
>The driver can presently render text as "text" or as
>"memo", depending on the chosen configuration. I
>don't see how it could reasonably distinguish between
>two text fields so as to call one "text" and the other
>"memo".

It can?!?!? I can't seem to get this to work then. Event with 'Text as LongVarChar' turned
off it still insists on treating my (formerlly) memo field as a text field with resulting limitations. I don't
want this data indexed or anything - just a plain old free form text memo field. I can't seem to figure
out what settings are necessary to get Access to recognize this as a memo field.

create table "Table-MCMProgram 2000" (
"ID" serial unique not null ,
"Date Opened" date null ,
"Name" varchar ( 50 ) not null ,
"Account#" integer not null ,
"Date of Birth" varchar ( 50 ) null ,
"Attending MD" varchar ( 50 ) null ,
"Health Plan Category" varchar ( 50 ) not null ,
"County" varchar ( 50 ) null ,
"Case Status" varchar ( 50 ) not null ,
"UR Notes" text null )

Access treats all the varchar and text fields as text in my ODBC link. I just need "UR
Notes" to act like a good old memo field once again so I can get more than 255 chars in it.

thanx & later,

Ben Scherrey

PS: I dislike the table/attribute names as well but it is outside of my scope of work to alter the
Access forms significantly so we're using the old names.