SQL Error: ORA-00907: missing right parenthesis

Question

I am using Oracle SQL developer to create a basic table with the following command:

CREATE TABLE chartered_flight(
   flight_no NUMBER(4) PRIMARY KEY
   , customer_id FOREIGN KEY
   , aircraft_no FOREIGN KEY
   , flight_type VARCHAR2 (12)
   , flight_date DATE NOT NULL
   , flight_time TO_DATE 'HH:MI' NOT NULL
   , takeoff_at CHAR (3) NOT NULL
   , destination CHAR (3) NOT NULL
)

Where is the missing right parenthesis? Or is the syntax that I have used incorrect.

I have made the following changes:

CREATE TABLE chartered flight(
   flight_no NUMBER(4) PRIMARY KEY
   , customer_id NUMBER(6) REFERENCES [customer]([customer_id])
   , aircraft_no NUMBER(4) REFERENCES [aircraft]([aircraft_no])
   , flight_type VARCHAR2 (12)
   , flight_date DATE NOT NULL
   , flight_time INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND NOT NULL
   , takeoff_at CHAR (3) NOT NULL
   , destination CHAR (3) NOT NULL)

Now I get this error:

Error at Command Line:1 Column:23
Error report:
SQL Error: ORA-00922: missing or invalid option
00922. 00000 -  "missing or invalid option"
*Cause:    
*Action:

I have a feeling it is something to do with TO_DATE or is it because I have not created my aircraft table yet so aircraft_no is missing? Can some one please help, thanks.

Solution 1

To specify foreign key constraint, you should either use inline customer_id [type] REFERENCES [master_table_name]([master_column_name]) or out of line syntax : , CONSTRAINT [constraint_name] FOREIGN KEY(customer_id) REFERENCES [master_table_name]([master_column_name]) See more example here. Also, it usually makes sense to add indexes on foreign key columns.

For flight_time you probably need to use INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND type

Solution 2

There is no type called TO_DATE. To_DATE is used to convert a string to a date.

So the create statement should be something like

CREATE TABLE chartered_flight(
    flight_no NUMBER(4) PRIMARY KEY, 
    customer_id FOREIGN KEY, 
    aircraft_no FOREIGN KEY, 
    flight_type VARCHAR2 (12), 
    flight_date DATE NOT NULL,
    flight_time VARCHAR(4) NOT NULL, 
    takeoff_at CHAR (3) NOT NULL, 
    destination CHAR (3) NOT NULL)

You can use to_date when selecting data from the table. For example

Select to_date(flight_date, 'yyyy/mm/dd') from chartered_flight;

Comments

[Jatinder Singh]

but what if I want the time to be specific to just HH:MM please how do I set this? I see default oracle data type for date is just DD/MM/YY

[ziggy]

You can possibly declare flight_time as varchar2 and then use a check constraint to validate the data.

[Ben]

Wouldn't it be better to have a flight_time as a number in minutes, if that is the lowest unit of measurement you want to use, and then you can convert it into hours / days in code. I definitely wouldn't have a number stored as a varchar if at all possible. Bound to cause trouble.

[Jatinder Singh]

where would I implement the check constraint? I think this is OTT maybe I should just leave it date as this is only for coursework.

[ziggy]

@Ben yes i agree but he wants to include the ':'. I agree that number format can easily be formatted.

[Jatinder Singh]

I have made changes that you have suggested but now I get a new error please can you have a look thanks.

[a1ex07]

You don't need square brackets in the CREATE TABLE. In my answer I use them to specify that you have to put actual values, so you need customer_id NUMBER(6) REFERENCES customer(customer_id)

[Jatinder Singh]

I have made that change but I am still getting the exact same error?! @a1ex07