R - Concatenate SQL query string over multiple lines - sql

I have a SQL query like this (example set, the query is actually much long and has multiple lines):
Select entity, date, value
from Test.DB.View1
where entity='abc'
I have a string ; entityvalue = 'abc' which is dynamic; changes based on user selection.
I would like to build a SQL query string that could incorporate entityvalue. For example:
paste("Select entity, date, value
from Test.DB.View1
where entity='",entityvalue,"'",sep= " ")
The result from the above syntax becomes:
"Select entity, date, value \n from Test.DB.View1\n where entity='abc'"
What's the best way to avoid \n ?

Separate the chunks to paste()
paste("Select entity, date, value",
"from Test.DB.View1",
"where entity='", entityvalue ,"'",sep= " ")

Related

SQL: Compare Date Range in a String text field

I have an MS Access db. I am writing an application in C# to access it. I have a field "FileName" of type "Short Text in MS Access. Data in FileName field is like "Test 11-12-2004 15.11.15".
Using a Date Range, I got to search records based on FileName field. I am not able to get - How do I compare the date of this format and retrieve the records ? FileName is a Text type and date is a substring of it. Retrieving only the date part and comparing with >= beginDate && <= endDate seems like a puzzle to me.
Can anyone suggest how do I write SQL query to perform this date range comparision and retrieve those records - "Select * from TestHead where FileName......" ????
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks a lot,
In your C# code, as you are going through the records, I'd split the string like this:
char[] delimiters = {' '};
string[] FileNameParts = FileName.Split(delimiters);
This will result in an array FileNameParts, the second element of which will contain the date, which you can convert to an actual date for use in the query:
DateTime FileNameDate = Convert.ToDateTime(FileNameParts(1))
Something along the lines of:
sSQL = "SELECT * FROM Table WHERE " & beginDate & " <= " & FileNameDate
I see this as preferable to adding a column to your table that contains the date substring of the FileName field, because then you constantly need to be updating that column whenever existing records are modified or new records are added. That means more clutter on the C# side, or an UPDATE query on the Access side which at least needs to get called periodically. Either way it would be more communication with the database.

How to compare with the string when the same string received in different order in SQL

How to compare with the string when the same string received in different order?
Eg: in my table there is two columns named as "meaning","Relevant name"
column data type is in varchar
meaning - Relevant name
food - snacks;choco;chips
input - " choco;chips;snacks "
output - "food"
how this type string will be compared?Could anyone suggest any idea
Putting CSV data in a column is bad; relational databases aren't designed to be treated that way. Have multiple rows for your values:
Meaning|RelName
food |snacks
food |choco
food |chips
And split your input when querying:
SELECT DISTINCT Meaning FROM t WHERE RelName IN ('choco','chips','snacks')
The split and query formation should be done in your frontend language
Do not use string concatenation to build your SQL with values, i.e. this naive way (c# syntax):
//this is bad - forming a list of values by replacing ; with',' and concatting
//into anotehr sql string
strSQL = "SELECT DISTINCT Meaning FROM t WHERE RelName IN ('" + input.Replace(";", "','") + "')";
Do use parameters together with string concatenation:
//this is good
//declare the base sql stub
sqlCommand.CommandText = "SELECT DISTINCT Meaning FROM t WHERE RelName IN (";
//split the input into values
var foods = input.Split(';');
//for each value
for(int i = 0; i < foods.Length; i++){
//add a bit to the sql with a new parameter named
sqlCommand.CommandText += "#param" + i + ",";
//add a parameter name and value to match the just-added parameter
sqlCommand.Parameters.AddWithValue("param" + i, foods[i]);
}
//the sql ends with a comma; a syntax error. trim it and put a ) to close the IN
sqlCommand.CommandText = sqlCommand.CommandText.TrimEnd(',') + ")";

SQL statement for combobox row source

I'm trying to define a SQL statement to use as the Row Source for a ComboBox on an MSAccess form. The SQL should select records from a table tblI where a particular table field matches a variant parameter varS set by the user; however, if varS is Null or not present in another table tblS, the SQl should select all records in tblI.
I can code the first parts of this (varS matches or is null):
SELECT tblI.ID, tblI.S FROM tblI WHERE ((tblI.S = varS) OR (varS Is Null)) ORDER BY tblI.ID;
Where I'm struggling is incorporating the final element (varS not present in tblS). I can code a test for the absence of varS in tblS:
Is Null(DLookup("[tbls.ID]","tblS","[tblS.ID]= " & varS))
but I can't work out how to incorporate this in the SQL statement. Should this work?
SELECT tblI.ID, tblI.S FROM tblI WHERE tblI.S = varS OR varS Is Null OR DLookup("[tbls.ID]","tblS","[tblS.ID]= " & varS) Is Null ORDER BY tblI.ID;
When run as a query it returns every record in tblS no matter the value of varS.
Table structure:
tblI contains 2 fields, Autonumber ID and Long S
tblS contains 1 field, Autonumber ID
My own approach to this problem would be something like this:
Private Sub SetComboSource(vID as Variant)
Dim sSQL as String
sSQL = "SELECT tblI.ID, tblI.S " & _
"FROM tblI "
If IsNull(vID) = False Then
If IsNumeric(vID) = True Then
If DCount("ID", "tblS", "ID = " Clng(vID)) > 0 Then
sSQL = sSQL & "WHERE tblI.S = " & CLng(vID)
End If
End If
End If
sSQL = sSQL & " ORDER BY tblI.ID"
Me.cboComboBox.RowSource = sSQL
End Sub
BTW, I recommend you give your tables and fields more descriptive names and then use aliasing in your SQL, especially for table names. I also think it's best to avoid using Variant variables. I usually use Longs for something like this and I take a value less than 1 to mean that the user didn't select anything, or selected ALL, or whatever meaning you want to derive from it. In other words, my ID's are always a number greater than zero and an ID of less than 1 in a variable means that the ID is empty. Which I use as a signal to create a new record, or to return all records, or whatever meaning you want to derive from it in the given context.
The following should work;
SELECT tblI.ID, tblI.S
FROM tblI
WHERE tbl.ID=varS
OR varS NOT IN(SELECT ID from tblS)

Matching text string on first letter in SQL query

SAMPLE CODE:
Dim sql As String = "SELECT * FROM " + tblName + " WHERE needsTranslation = 'True' AND dataText LIKE " & "'" & alpha & "%" & "'" & " ORDER BY dataText;"
da = New SqlDataAdapter(sql, strConnection)
OP:
I would like to create a SQL query that returns all records when the first letter of a string matches my variable. I am coding this in an ASP.net code behind page in vb.net.
SELECT * FROM " + tblName + " WHERE textData = ' & alpha & "
In this exmample textData is a string of text and alpha is a single letter a through z or A through Z.
I don't need the criteria to be case sensitive, but I do need only the first letter of textData to match alpha.
I have tested the LIKE comparator and it does not return all records that begin with alpha.
What is the best way to do this? Any and all help will be appreciated.
thanks again,
The LIKE operator is what you'd want to use, but you have to use the % wildcard character like so:
SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE textData LIKE 'a%'
SQL has sub-string operator SUBSTR() or SUBSTRING()
select * from tableName where substr( textData ) in ( 'A', 'B', 'C', ... );
I couldn't add to the comments on one of the other posts, but I'll strongly second the need to use a parameterized query for these reasons (you can include usage of the like operator with the wildcard % like the other answer correctly summarized to answer your question):
It will protect you from making mistakes with single quotes, especially if the user enters a search string that includes them
(they will cause your query to fail).
It protects you from SQL injection exploits. Example, a user were able to input the value of the variable "alpha" in the above
example they could enter something like:
'; DELETE FROM ;
If the user you were using had excessive database rights, they could
wreak all kinds of havoc (or they could potentially get access to
data they shouldn't have access to).

"Null" value in Queries

I'm trying to run code that will copy fields into a new table, moving them from a _New table to the original table. The VBA code that does this works as such:
SQLStatement = CStr("INSERT INTO " & TName & " SELECT * FROM " & TName & "_New")
Log.WriteLine "Running query with string """ & SQLStatement & """ "
QueryTimer = Timer
DoCmd.RunSQL SQLStatement
Log.WriteLine "Query time: " & (Timer - QueryTimer)
The log is just a handful of procedures in a class module I threw together. Its output on the error is
#142921: Running query with string "INSERT INTO Records SELECT * FROM Records_New"
#142941: Error Date/Time: 7/21/2009 2:29:40 PM
#142941: Error # & Description: 3162, You tried to assign the Null value to a variable that is not a Variant data type.
I can confirm that TName and SQLStatement are both valid strings at the time the SQL operation is run, and that the sources (Records and Records_New) are both valid. Option Explicit is set elsewhere in the file to avoid any confusion from typos. The error is thrown on the DoCmd line.
Why would this have a Null value, even though DoCmd.RunSQL doesn't return a value?
Can you post the table descriptions for Records and Records_New tables?
I would wager that you are trying to insert a NULL value into one of the columns of the "Records" table (and the column description is NOT NULL).
Hope this helps.
I think it will help if you also change the insert statement to be more specific about which columns it is inserting/selecting. You are asking for bugs by being so non-specific.
This may seem like it is non-responsive to your answer, but I suspect that the columns in the select table and destination table are either not lined up, or there is a field in the destination table that disallows null.
Try this:
In a new Query (in SQL view) paste your query "INSERT INTO Records SELECT * FROM Records_New" in and try to run it manually. I bet you get a more specific error and can troubleshoot the query there before running it with the added complexity of the code around it.
INSERT INTO Statement (Microsoft Access SQL)
Your SQL INSERT statement is incorrect - it should be:
INSERT INTO Records SELECT * FROM [Records_New];
Here's what you need to use:
CStr("INSERT INTO " & TName & " SELECT * FROM [" & TName & "_New)"];")
Maybe Timer needs parens?
QueryTimer = Timer()