Why does this table-creation script give me errors?

Question

CREATE TABLE DEPARTMENTS (
dept_num                 NUMBER          (8)                                                 
dept_name               VARCHAR2         (20) NOT NULL,        
dept_loc                    VARCHAR2         (25),
dept_phone             CHAR                   (13),
CONSTRAINT dept_num_pk PRIMARY KEY (dept_num)
) ;


CREATE TABLE JOB_HISTORY (
rank                              CHAR                 (20),                                          
date_attendance        NUMERIC          (10) NOT NULL,
fac_num                      INTEGER         (8),  
CONSTRAINT rank_pk PRIMARY KEY (rank),
CONSTRAINT fk_fac_num FOREIGN  KEY (fac_num) REFERENCES FACULTY (fac_num)
) ;


CREATE TABLE FACULTY (
fac_num                        INTEGER      (8),                                                   
fac_name                      CHAR             (15)      NOT NULL,
fac_last_name             CHAR              (15)      NOT NULL,
street                             VARCHAR2   (30),
city                                 VARCHAR2   (20),
state                              VARCHAR2    (2),
zip_code                       VARCHAR2    (10),
salary                            NUMERIC       (6,2),
earn_ytd                      NUMERIC       (6,2),
start_date                    DATE                          NOT NULL,
degree                          VARCHAR2      (15)   NOT NULL,
field                              CHAR                (15)   NOT NULL,
curr_rank                     CHAR                (20)  NOT NULL ,
dept_num                   NUMBER          (8),
CONSTRAINT fac_num_pk PRIMARY KEY (fac_num),
CONSTRAINT fk_curr_rank FOREIGN KEY (curr_rank) REFERENCES JOB_HISTORY (rank),
CONSTRAINT fk_dept_num FOREIGN KEY (dept_num)  REFERENCES DEPARTMENTS (dept_num)
);

CREATE TABLE SPEAKING_TOPICS (
code                         CHAR                    (10),                                               
title                          CHAR                    (20) NOT NULL,
last_given               CHAR                    (20),
time_given             NUMBER             (3),
fac_num_fke          INTEGER             (8),
CONSTRAINT code_pk PRIMARY KEY (code),
CONSTRAINT fk_fac_num  FOREIGN KEY (fac_num) REFERENCES FACULTY (fac_num)
) ;


CREATE TABLE FACULTY ( fac_num INTERG ORA-00907: missing right parenthesis -  
3 0.08 CREATE TABLE JOB_HISTORY ( rank  ORA-00907: missing right parenthesis -  
4 0.09 CREATE TABLE SPEAKING_TOPICS ( code  ORA-00907: missing right parenthesis

Answer 1

I'm not sure there is a datatype INTERGER.

Answer 2

You have a typo in FACULTY table definition: "INTERGER" instead of INTEGER

Same in JOB_HISTORY.

Answer 3

Oracle has no INTEGER data type. Use a NUMBER(10,0) which will hold a 32 bit integer like value.

Oracle has no NUMERIC data type, you need to use NUMBER (8,2).

Mostly this is a matter of typo's but Oracle is very picky about its table data types.

Answer 4

Some hints:

• You can't use a precision with INTEGER. Use INTEGER instead of INTEGER(8). (INTEGER is actually the same as NUMBER(38), so it already has a precision.)

• You're missing a comma after the dept_num column in the DEPARTMENTS table.

• You can't create a foreign-key constraint onto a table that doesn't yet exist. The CREATE TABLE JOB_HISTORY ... statement attempts to create a foreign-key constraint onto the FACULTY table, but the FACULTY table hasn't been created at that point. Remove the constraint fk_fac_num from the CREATE TABLE JOB_HISTORY statement. After table FACULTY has been created, add the constraint using something like

  ALTER TABLE JOB_HISTORY ADD CONSTRAINT fk_fac_num ...
  

• There is no column called fac_num_fke in SPEAKING_TOPICS. Did you mean fac_num instead?

• Constraints must all have different names. Change the name of the foreign-key constraint in SPEAKING_TOPICS to something else.

After making these changes to your SQL I was able to run it and create the tables successfully.

Answer 5

A corrected script is below, with comment blocks to explain what was wrong.

/*
A comma was missing
*/
create table departments (
  dept_num number(8)
 ,dept_name varchar2(20) not null
 ,dept_loc varchar2(25)
 ,dept_phone char(13)
 ,constraint dept_num_pk primary key(dept_num)
);

/*
Don't specify INTEGER(8)... just say INTEGER.
Also, you can't reference the FACULTY table before you've created it. 
I've made that constraint into a separate command,
after FACULTY is created.
*/
create table job_history(
  rank char(20)                                          
 ,date_attendance numeric(10) not null
 ,fac_num integer  
 ,constraint rank_pk primary key(rank)
 --,constraint fk_fac_num foreign key (fac_num) references faculty(fac_num)
);

/*
Same issue with the INTEGER precision.
*/
create table faculty(
  fac_num integer                                                   
 ,fac_name char(15) not null
 ,fac_last_name char(15) not null
 ,street varchar2(30)
 ,city varchar2(20)
 ,state varchar2(2)
 ,zip_code varchar2(10)
 ,salary numeric(6,2)
 ,earn_ytd numeric(6,2)
 ,start_date date not null
 ,degree varchar2(15) not null
 ,field char(15) not null
 ,curr_rank char(20) not null
 ,dept_num number(8)
 ,constraint fac_num_pk
  primary key(fac_num)
 ,constraint fk_curr_rank
  foreign key(curr_rank)
  references job_history(rank)
 ,constraint fk_dept_num
  foreign key(dept_num)
  references departments(dept_num)
);

/*
This line is new.
JOB_HISTORY has to wait until FACULTY exists before
referencing it.
*/
alter table job_history 
add constraint fk_fac_num
foreign key(fac_num)
references faculty(fac_num);

/*
The INTEGER had a precision argument, again.
Also, the name of your foreign key on faculty(fac_num) was not unique; it 
matched the one used by JOB_HISTORY to refer to faculty(fac_num).
I've modified the name of that constraint to make it unique.

Finally, the foreign_key had the wrong field name.
It needs to refer to the
local field name, whose name includes an "fke" @ the end
*/
create table speaking_topics(
  code char(10)                                               
 ,title char(20) not null
 ,last_given char(20)
 ,time_given number(3)
 ,fac_num_fke integer 
 ,constraint code_pk primary key(code)
 ,constraint fk_spk_top_fac_num
  foreign key(fac_num_fke)
  references faculty(fac_num)
);

/*
If you want to DROP these tables, you must do so in a specific order,
since they reference each other.

You must also take an extra step to break the link btwn
JOB_HISTORY and FACULTY.

The below script will do it, but I've commented it out to avoid accidental
execution.
*/

--drop table speaking_topics;
--alter table job_history drop constraint fk_fac_num;
--drop table faculty;
--drop table job_history;
--drop table departments;