SQL Server 2014 with clause inside function/procedure - sql

Question

Is it possible to make a user defined function /user defined procedure with the "with" clause inside it?
CREATE FUNCTION udf_UsersComments (
#Id INT
)
RETURNS #UsersComments TABLE (
CommentTextFormatted NVARCHAR(MAX),
DateCommented NVARCHAR(MAX),
Username NVARCHAR(255),
ParentCommentId INT,
Id INT
)
AS
BEGIN
WITH UpperHierarchy (Id, QuestionId, CommentText, ParentCommentId, DateCommented, UserId, HierarchyOrder,
lineage)
AS (SELECT com.Id,
com.QuestionId,
com.CommentText,
com.ParentCommentId,
com.DateCommented,
com.UserId,
0 AS HierarchyOrder,
Cast ('/' AS VARCHAR(255)) AS Lineage
FROM Comments AS com
WHERE com.ParentCommentId IS NULL AND IsDeleted=0
UNION ALL
(SELECT com.Id,
com.QuestionId,
com.CommentText,
com.ParentCommentId,
com.DateCommented,
com.UserId,
HierarchyOrder + 1,
Cast(lineage + Ltrim(Str(com.ParentCommentId, 6, 0))
+ '/' AS VARCHAR(255))
FROM Comments AS com
INNER JOIN UpperHierarchy AS parent
ON com.ParentCommentId = parent.Id
WHERE com.IsDeleted=0))
SELECT CommentTextFormatted, DateCommented, U.Username, ParentCommentId, Com.id
FROM Questions AS Q
INNER JOIN
(SELECT Space(HierarchyOrder*5) + CommentText AS CommentTextFormatted, Id, QuestionId, ParentCommentId, DateCommented, UserId, lineage
FROM UpperHierarchy) AS Com
ON Com.QuestionId=Q.Id
INNER JOIN Users AS U
ON U.Id=Com.UserId
WHERE Q.Id=#Id
ORDER BY lineage + Ltrim(Str(Q.Id, 6, 0))
RETURN
END
GO
And I am getting this error
Msg 444, Level 16, State 2, Procedure udf_UsersComments, Line 13
Select statements included within a function cannot return data to a
client.

Answer 1

Make it as a Inline table valued function. Check this question to know why I chose inline instead of multi line table valued function
CREATE FUNCTION udf_UsersComments (
#Id INT
)
RETURNS TABLE
AS
Return(
WITH UpperHierarchy (Id, QuestionId, CommentText, ParentCommentId, DateCommented, UserId, HierarchyOrder,
lineage)
AS (SELECT com.Id,
com.QuestionId,
com.CommentText,
com.ParentCommentId,
com.DateCommented,
com.UserId,
0 AS HierarchyOrder,
Cast ('/' AS VARCHAR(255)) AS Lineage
FROM Comments AS com
WHERE com.ParentCommentId IS NULL AND IsDeleted=0
UNION ALL
(SELECT com.Id,
com.QuestionId,
com.CommentText,
com.ParentCommentId,
com.DateCommented,
com.UserId,
HierarchyOrder + 1,
Cast(lineage + Ltrim(Str(com.ParentCommentId, 6, 0))
+ '/' AS VARCHAR(255))
FROM Comments AS com
INNER JOIN UpperHierarchy AS parent
ON com.ParentCommentId = parent.Id
WHERE com.IsDeleted=0))
SELECT CommentTextFormatted, DateCommented, U.Username, ParentCommentId, Com.id,ordercol = lineage + Ltrim(Str(Q.Id, 6, 0))
FROM Questions AS Q
INNER JOIN
(SELECT Space(HierarchyOrder*5) + CommentText AS CommentTextFormatted, Id, QuestionId, ParentCommentId, DateCommented, UserId, lineage
FROM UpperHierarchy) AS Com
ON Com.QuestionId=Q.Id
INNER JOIN Users AS U
ON U.Id=Com.UserId
WHERE Q.Id=#Id)
Note, I have added another column in result to do the ordering while selecting the function. You cannot use Order by without TOP inside a function
select CommentTextFormatted, DateCommented, Username, ParentCommentId, id
from udf_UsersComments(1)--some id
order by ordercol
Regarding your original issue, you are missing insert into #UsersComments. CTE select should insert the records into #UsersComments