Case Expressions

Case expressions are an Oracle tool similar in nature to the DECODE statement. CASE statements offer the business analyst added f lexibility and logical power, and they are easier to read than the DECODE statement. A CASE statement is a good tool for breaking data into classes or buckets. A syntax template of the statement follows:

				Case when
				condition1
				then
				expression1
				When
				condition2
				then
				expression2
				[Else]
				expression2a
				End

Listing 6.17 illustrates the use of a CASE statement to create a histogramtype report. The report counts the number of employees who have wages within specific classes. The classes consist of $5,000 increments. A SUM group function is created for each class. A CASE statement is then placed inside the group ...

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