I have three tables: budgets, category_allocations, and expenses. How can I join category_allocations and expenses so that spending is subtracted from allocated amounts per category?
hey, have you tried a subquery that sums expenses per category and then join it with category_allocations? i wonder if that helps sort your conundrum 
what possble issues are u facing with the join? curious to learn more abt your use-case
hey creativechef89, try joinin your category_allocations with a subquery that sums expnses per cat then subtract those from allocated amounts. double-check join filters, as mismatched rows may sneak in. hope it helps!
In my experience, a proven method involves aggregating expenses by category using a subquery, then performing a left join with the category_allocations table. This approach allows you to subtract the total expenses from the allocated amount directly within the select clause. It is important to handle cases where a category may have no recorded expenses by using functions such as COALESCE. This method has worked reliably in projects with complex data relationships and has helped ensure accurate financial summaries.