Error while using the Group By Clause - sql

Question

I am getting the sql server error "the text ntext and image data types cannot be compared or sorted except when using is null or like" while executing
SELECT r.Shift, l.lab_title AS [Assigned Lab], u.user_name AS [L/A],
CONVERT(varchar(100), t.Time) + ' To ' + CONVERT(varchar(100), h.Time) AS Timing
FROM table_roaster_time_table AS r
INNER JOIN table_time AS t ON r.timeId = t.timeId AND r.timeId = t.timeId
INNER JOIN table_user AS u ON r.user_id = u.user_id
INNER JOIN table_labs AS l ON r.lab_id = l.lab_id
INNER JOIN table_time2 AS h ON r.timeId2 = h.timeId2
GROUP BY r.Shift, l.lab_title, u.user_name
Don't know what's the problem. I have used aggregate function also with it, just for formality but it's not working.

Answer 1

I'm guessing your r.Shift column is a text or ntext type. Because of this it cannot be used in a group by
One option might be to use a CAST on the suspect column, but you might loose data. Example:
SELECT r.Shift, l.lab_title AS [Assigned Lab], u.user_name AS [L/A], CONVERT(varchar(100), t.Time) + ' To ' + CONVERT(varchar(100), h.Time) AS Timing
FROM table_roaster_time_table AS r INNER JOIN
table_time AS t ON r.timeId = t.timeId AND r.timeId = t.timeId INNER JOIN
table_user AS u ON r.user_id = u.user_id INNER JOIN
table_labs AS l ON r.lab_id = l.lab_id INNER JOIN
table_time2 AS h ON r.timeId2 = h.timeId2
GROUP BY CAST(r.Shift as varchar(max), l.lab_title, u.user_name
You could also look at querying the data without the text column and then doing a second query to get the missing column. Example:
with temp as
(
SELECT l.lab_title AS [Assigned Lab], u.user_name AS [L/A], CONVERT(varchar(100), t.Time) + ' To ' + CONVERT(varchar(100), h.Time) AS Timing
FROM table_roaster_time_table AS r INNER JOIN
table_time AS t ON r.timeId = t.timeId AND r.timeId = t.timeId INNER JOIN
table_user AS u ON r.user_id = u.user_id INNER JOIN
table_labs AS l ON r.lab_id = l.lab_id INNER JOIN
table_time2 AS h ON r.timeId2 = h.timeId2
GROUP BY l.lab_title, u.user_name
)
SELECT r.Shift, t.lab_title AS [Assigned Lab], t.user_name AS [L/A] --etc
FROM table_roaster_time_table AS r
INNER JOIN temp as t
on r.id = t.id --or whatver
Also, this SQL seems unnecessary:
r.timeId = t.timeId AND r.timeId = t.timeId