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Teradata: Recursive Query

Recursion is a process of self iterations until the required outcome is achieved. Recursion is typically consist of three steps:

Initialize the logic or Seed query

Repeated iteration of the logic in the entire table
Termination Condition

Same way, a recursive query in teradata has three execution phases:

Create an initial resultset
Repeated iteration based on the existing resultset
Termination query to return the required resultset

Syntax: Recursive Query Structure

WITH RECURSIVE [any_recursive_tablename](col1,query_level)
AS
(
--Initialize the logic or Seed query
SELECT column_name1 AS col1,1 AS query_level FROM databasename.tablename

UNION ALL
--Recursive Join / Repeated iteration of the logic in the entire table

SELECT a.col1||b.col1 AS temp_col, query_level+1

FROM databasename.tablename a INNER JOIN [any_recursive_tablename] b
ON a.col1 > b.col1

) Back to Top ↑
-- Termination Query
©SELECT
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temp_col,query_level,character_length(temp_col) AS wordSize

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 FROM [any_recursive_tablename]
QUALIFY RANK() OVER (ORDER BY wordSize desc) = 1;

➠ Example 1: Reverse a string using recursion.

Sample Table: Creating a sample volatile table rec_example with 2 columns for testing.
CREATE MULTISET VOLATILE TABLE rec_example
(
id INTEGER,
name VARCHAR(50)
)
PRIMARY INDEX(id)
ON COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS;

Data Population: Inserting sample data for reversing string.

INSERT INTO rec_example VALUES(1, 'Pradeep Khatri');
INSERT INTO rec_example VALUES(2, 'Teradata Database');

Recursive Query: Query to reverse string.

WITH
RECURSIVE RecReverseStringTable(id, name, name_len, qry_level, reverse_string,tm)
AS(
--Initialize the logic or Seed query
SELECT id,
name,
CHARACTER_LENGTH(name),
1, --Starting Query level from 1
CAST('' AS VARCHAR(50)),
current_timestamp(6)
FROM rec_example
UNION ALL
Backentire
--Recursive Join / Repeated iteration of the logic in the to Top ↑table
SELECT
© Copyright 2016-2021
id, dbmstutorials.com

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 name,
name_len,
qry_level+1,
SUBSTRING(name FROM qry_level FOR 1) || reverse_string,
tm
FROM RecReverseStringTable
WHERE qry_level <= name_len
)
-- Termination Query
SELECT id,
name,
reverse_string
FROM RecReverseStringTable
WHERE name_len+1 = qry_level ORDER BY 1;

Output:
id name reverse_string
---------- ------------------------------ ------------------------------
1 Pradeep Khatri irtahK peedarP
2 Teradata Database esabataD atadareT

Note: Starting TD15, Teradata provides direct function to reverse a string, visit Teradata String Functions to learn more about string functions.

➠ Example 2: Concatenate a string from different rows

Sample Table: Creating a sample volatile table rec_example with 2 columns for testing.
CREATE MULTISET VOLATILE TABLE rec_example
(
id INTEGER,
code CHAR(1)
)
PRIMARY INDEX(id)
ON COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS;

Back to Top ↑

© Data Population:
Copyright Inserting
2016-2021 sample data for Concatenating string from different rows.
dbmstutorials.com

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 INSERT INTO rec_example(1,'A');
INSERT INTO rec_example(2,'B');
INSERT INTO rec_example(3,'C');
INSERT INTO rec_example(4,'D');

Recursive Query: Query to Concatenate string.

WITH RECURSIVE RecConcatenateString(code,qry_level)
AS
(
--Initialize the logic or Seed query
SELECT MIN(CAST(code AS VARCHAR(10))) AS code,
1 --Starting Query level from 1
FROM rec_example
UNION ALL
--Recursive Join / Repeated iteration of the logic in the entire table
SELECT trim(a.code) || ',' || trim( b.code),
qry_level+1
FROM rec_example a
INNER JOIN RecConcatenateString b
ON a.code > b.code
)
-- Termination Query
SELECT code,
qry_level,
CHARACTER_LENGTH(code) concat_string_len
FROM RecConcatenateString
QUALIFY RANK() OVER (ORDER BY concat_string_len desc) = 1;

Output:
code qry_level concat_string_len
---------- ---------- -------------------
D,C,B,A 4 7

Note: Teradata also provides other function to achieve similar result, visit Teradata Misc Functions to learn more about it.

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➠ Example 3: Finding a parent recursively for all the nodes(rows).

Sample Table: Creating a sample volatile table rec_example with 2 columns for testing.
CREATE VOLATILE TABLE Searchlist_tbl(
search_Id INTEGER,
value_txt VARCHAR(50),
parent_search_id INTEGER
)
PRIMARY INDEX(search_Id)
ON COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS;

Data Population: Inserting sample data for finding a parent recursively for all the nodes(rows).
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(1,'search',null);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(2,'search1',1);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(3,'search2',2);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(4,'search3',3);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(5,'search4',4);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(6,'search5',5);

INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(7,'search3',null);

INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(8,'search4',7);
INSERT INTO Searchlist_tbl VALUES(9,'search5',8);

Recursive Query: Query to finding a parent recursively for all the nodes(rows).
WITH RECURSIVE RecursiveParent(search_Id,parent_search_Id,LVL)
AS
(
--Seed Query
SELECT search_Id ,search_id as parent_search_Id,1
FROM Searchlist_tbl WHERE parent_search_id IS NULL

UNION ALL
--RECURSIVE Join

SELECT a.search_Id ,b.parent_search_id, LVL+1 Back to Top ↑

FROM Searchlist_tbl a INNER JOIN RecursiveParent b
ON a.parent_search_Id = b.search_Id
© Copyright
)
2016-2021 dbmstutorials.com

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 SELECT search_Id,parent_search_Id,case when search_Id=parent_search_Id THEN null ELSE parent_search_Id END orig_parent,lvl
FROM RecursiveParent
order by 1;

Output:
search_Id parent_search_Id orig_parent LVL
---------- ---------------- ----------- ----
1 1 ? 1
2 1 1 2
3 1 1 3
4 1 1 4
5 1 1 5
6 1 1 6

7 7 ? 1
8 7 7 2
9 7 7 3

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