MySQL: Using REPLACE as part of an IN statement - sql

Question

I am trying to use REPLACE to substitute spaces for commas.
If I try SELECT REPLACE('1 2 3 4 5 6 7 86 9', ' ', ', '); then I get exactly what I need in a string.
However, if I try this as part of an IN statement I only get returned the first match (ie, 1)
Here is my entire query:
SELECT aa.category_id,
aa.yyyymm,
aa.cat_balance_ytd
FROM gl_view_cat_balances AS aa
WHERE aa.gl_id = '/JOB//9'
AND aa.fin_years_ago = 0
**AND aa.category_id IN (REPLACE((SELECT detail_2
FROM gl_options
WHERE option_id = 'GLREPFUNCJOB01'),' ', ', '))**
AND aa.yyyymm = (SELECT max(bb.yyyymm)
FROM gl_rep_cat_bals as bb
WHERE bb.gl_unique_id = aa.gl_unique_id
AND bb.category_id = aa.category_id
AND bb.yyyymm <= 200910);
Field detail_2 in record GLREPFUNCJOB01 contains '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 86 9'
If anyone has some helpful hints on how I can get the commas into the string and can use it in the IN I would love to hear about them.

Answer 1

You can't use REPLACE to create a comma delimited list for use in an IN clause. To use that as-is, you'd have to utilize MySQL's Prepared Statements (effectively dynamic SQL) - creating the comma separated list first, and inserting that into the SQL query constructed as a string before executing it.
SELECT a.category_id,
a.yyyymm,
a.cat_balance_ytd
FROM GL_VIEW_CAT_BALANCES a
JOIN GL_OPTIONS o ON INSTR(o.detail2, a.category_id)
AND o.option_id = 'GLREPFUNCJOB01'
JOIN (SELECT b.category_id,
b.gl_unique_id,
MAX(b.yyyymm) 'yyyymm'
FROM GL_REPCAT_BALSs b
WHERE b.yyyymm <= 200910
GROUP BY b.category_id, b.gl_unique_id) x ON x.category_id = a.category_id
AND x.gl_unique_id = a.unique_id
AND x.yyyymm = a.yyyymm
WHERE a.gl_id = '/JOB//9'
AND a.fin_years_ago = 0
Here's an untested, possible non-dynamic SQL alternative, using FIND_IN_SET:
SELECT a.category_id,
a.yyyymm,
a.cat_balance_ytd
FROM GL_VIEW_CAT_BALANCES a
JOIN (SELECT REPLACE(o.detail_2, ' ', ', ') 'detail2_csv'
FROM GL_OPTIONS o
WHERE o.option_id = 'GLREPFUNCJOB01') y ON FIND_IN_SET(a.category, y.detail2_csv) > 0
JOIN (SELECT b.category_id,
b.gl_unique_id,
MAX(b.yyyymm) 'yyyymm'
FROM GL_REPCAT_BALSs b
WHERE b.yyyymm <= 200910
GROUP BY b.category_id, b.gl_unique_id) x ON x.category_id = a.category_id
AND x.gl_unique_id = a.unique_id
AND x.yyyymm = a.yyyymm
WHERE a.gl_id = '/JOB//9'
AND a.fin_years_ago = 0

Answer 2

Gosh, I can't find anything wrong. After fruitlessly desk checking, I created the minimal schema needed and it executes okay, though the tables are empty. Maybe you could show a few records of data?
SELECT aa.category_id, aa.yyyymm, aa.cat_balance_ytd
FROM gl_view_cat_balances AS aa
WHERE aa.gl_id = '/JOB//9' AND
aa.fin_years_ago = 0 AND
aa.category_id IN (REPLACE((SELECT detail_2
FROM gl_options
WHERE option_id = 'GLREPFUNCJOB01'),' ', ', ')) AND
aa.yyyymm = (SELECT max(bb.yyyymm)
FROM gl_rep_cat_bals as bb
WHERE bb.gl_unique_id = aa.gl_unique_id AND
bb.category_id = aa.category_id AND
bb.yyyymm <= 200910);

Answer 3

Thanks for your help, but we ended up creating a temporary table out of the values in glrepfuncjob01 and using that as the sub-select in the IN statement.
Worked a treat.