How to compare a user set variable in MySQL? - mysql

Question

I've stumbled on a previously asked and answered question here:
How to use comparison operator for numeric string in MySQL?
I absolutely agree with the answer being the best mentioned. But it left me with a question myself while I was trying to create my own answer. I was trying to select the first number and convert it to an integer. Next I wanted to compare that integer with a number (3 in case of the question).
This is the query I've created:
SELECT experience,
CONVERT(SUBSTRING_INDEX(experience,'-',1), UNSIGNED INTEGER) AS num
FROM employee
WHERE #num >= 3;
For the sake of simplicity, asume the data inside experience is: 4-8
The query doesn't return any errors. But it doesn't return the data either. I know it's possible to compare the data inside a column with a user defined variable. But is it possible to compare data (the integer in this case) with the variable like I'm trying to do?
This is purely out of curiousity and to learn something.

Answer 1

Yes, a derived table will do. The inner select block below is a derived table. And every derived table needs a name. In my case, xDerived.
The strategy is to let the derived table cleanse the use of the column name. Coming out of the derived chunk is a clean column named num which the outer select is free to use.
Schema
create table employee
( id int auto_increment primary key,
experience varchar(20) not null
);
-- truncate table employee;
insert employee(experience) values
('4-5'),('7-1'),('4-1'),('6-5'),('8-6'),('5-9'),('10-4');
Query
select id,experience,num
from
( SELECT id,experience,
CONVERT(SUBSTRING_INDEX(experience,'-',1),UNSIGNED INTEGER) AS num
FROM employee
) xDerived
where num>=7;
Results
+----+------------+------+
| id | experience | num |
+----+------------+------+
| 2 | 7-1 | 7 |
| 5 | 8-6 | 8 |
| 7 | 10-4 | 10 |
+----+------------+------+
Note, your #num concept was faulty but hopefully I interpreted what you meant to do above.
Also, I went with 7 not 3 because all your sample data would have returned, and I wanted to show you it would work.

Answer 2

The AS num instruction names the result of convert as num, not a variable named #num.
You could repeat the convert
SELECT experience,CONVERT(SUBSTRING_INDEX(experience,'-',1),UNSIGNED INTEGER)
FROM employee
WHERE CONVERT(SUBSTRING_INDEX(experience,'-',1),UNSIGNED INTEGER) >= 3;
Or use a partial (derived) table (only one convert)
SELECT experience,num
FROM (select experience,
CONVERT(SUBSTRING_INDEX(experience,'-',1),UNSIGNED INTEGER) as num
FROM employee) as partialtable WHERE num>=3;

Answer 3

Much simpler. (Or at least much shorter.) This will work for the data as described, namely "number, -, other stuff".
SELECT experience,
0+experience AS 'FirstPart'
FROM employee
WHERE 0+experience >= 3
Why? 0+string is parsed as "convert the string to a number, then add it to 0". Converting a string will extract the digits up to the first non-digit, then convert that as numeric.