SQL sorting query - sql

Question

I have following table with following relevant columns-
Invoices-
Invoice Number | Invoice Date | Invoice Status
Invoice status can have values : PENDING, SENT, COURIER, LR, CANCELLED, DONE
I want to order the records in this table such that,
Invoices older than 2 days but not having status CANCELLED and DONE should appear first
then
Invoices newer then 2 days but not having status CANCELLED and DONE should appear first
then
All invoices having CANCELLED or DONE should be last on the list
How to achieve this in SQL.
I am using SQL server and writing stored procedure is something I am not keen to do it.
Ideally it should be single SQL statement.
What would be the solution for this problem?

Answer 1

You do this using expressions in the order by:
select i.
from invoices i
order by (case when invoicedate < dateadd(day, -2, getdate()) and
status not in ('Cancelled', 'Done')
then 1
when status not in ('Cancelled', 'Done')
then 2
then 3
end);
A stored procedure is not necessary for this (nor in my opinion is it desirable).

Answer 2

Please try the following...
SELECT [Invoice Number],
[Invoice Date],
[Invoice Status]
FROM Invoices
WHERE [Invoice Status] NOT IN ( 'CANCELLED', 'DONE' )
AND DATEADD( DAY, -2, GETDATE() ) > [Invoice Date]
UNION
SELECT [Invoice Number],
[Invoice Date],
[Invoice Status]
FROM Invoices
WHERE [Invoice Status] NOT IN ( 'CANCELLED', 'DONE' )
AND DATEADD( DAY, -2, GETDATE() ) <= [Invoice Date]
UNION
SELECT [Invoice Number],
[Invoice Date],
[Invoice Status]
FROM Invoices
WHERE [Invoice Status] IN ( 'CANCELLED', 'DONE' );
In each of by SELECT statements I have chosen to show all the fields and in the same order. Note that the corresponding fields in the SELECT statements making up a UNION should always be of the same type. In some situations a field of one type may be converted to match another, but this can sometimes lead to troubles and it is strongly recommended that you try to avoid such situations.
In my first statement I compare the date two days before the current date to the [Invoice Date] and if it is greater (i.e the Invoice is older than 2 days) then the row is included (subject to its [Invoice Status]).
For the second statement I choose invoices where the date is no more than two days before the current one.
For the third statement I show all Invoices where the status is either CANCELLED or DONE.
You can specify sorts, groupings, etc. of similar or different patterns within each list, but since you have not specified any such in your Question I have not attempted to implement them.
If you have any questions or comments, then please feel free to post a Comment accordingly.