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Databases

Joseph Romero
Joseph Romero
6,129 Points
Posted by Joseph Romero
Joseph Romero
6,129 Points

In an ecommerce database (SUBSTR function help)

The question:

In an ecommerce database there's a customers table with id, username, first_name, last_name, password, email and phone columns. Create a report from the customers table that shows their first initial of their first name and alias it as initial. Select their last name too.

This is my current answer. I feel it meets the question's needs. However it still says its wrong.

```SQL SELECT SUBSTR(first_name, 1, 1) AS intital, last_name FROM customers ```

output

intital last_name

L Chalkley

D McFarland

P Premaratne

A Chalkley

R Hinkley

L Love

N Pettit

C Tepper

J Hoskins

M Pole

5 Answers

Ondřej Havazík
Ondřej Havazík
7,801 Points
Ondřej Havazík
Ondřej Havazík
7,801 Points

You should do something like this:

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

Charlie Harcourt
Charlie Harcourt
8,046 Points

Thanks! :)

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,261 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,261 Points

:point_right: you aliased your first column as intital, but it needs to be initial.

Timothy Sawyer
Timothy Sawyer
31,052 Points
Timothy Sawyer
Timothy Sawyer
31,052 Points

I did the same thing, I misspelled "initial". The error message got me. It stated something like "looking for L & Chalkley not L & Chalkley" .

Dan Epstein
Dan Epstein
3,233 Points
Dan Epstein
Dan Epstein
3,233 Points

Found the right one! SELECT SUBSTR( first_name,1,1) AS initial, last_name FROM customers;

Don't concatenate in this specific challenge.

Dan Epstein
Dan Epstein
3,233 Points
Dan Epstein
Dan Epstein
3,233 Points

I tried this: SELECT SUBSTR( first_name,1,1)||" "||last_name AS initial FROM customers;

yet I get this strange error reply: Bummer: Expecting results like 'L Chalkley' not 'L Chalkley'.

Any insights?

Simone Beaver
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Simone Beaver
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 15,720 Points
Simone Beaver
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Simone Beaver
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 15,720 Points

SELECT <item> AS "item", <item> AS "item", <item> AS "item" FROM table; this works for me and of course you wont use item but this is to get you a nudge in the right direction.