Random default string for a column using CASE and NEWID

• Bill Leung

  Right there with Babe

  Points: 765

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  February 6, 2008 at 12:26 am

  #178886

  Comments posted to this topic are about the item Random default string for a column using CASE and NEWID

• ChrisM@Work

  SSC Guru

  Points: 186127

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  June 14, 2012 at 3:14 am

  #1500850

  SELECT

  CAST(NEWID() AS CHAR(36)),

  CASE CAST( ASCII (SUBSTRING( CAST( NEWID() AS VARCHAR(64)), 1, 1)) AS INT) % 2

  WHEN 0 THEN 'OPTION 1' ELSE 'OPTION 2' END,

  CASE ABS(CHECKSUM(NEWID()) % 2)

  WHEN 0 THEN 'OPTION 1' ELSE 'OPTION 2' END

  FROM (VALUES(0),(1),(2),(3),(4),(5),(6),(7),(8),(9),(10),(11),(12)) r (n)

  Uniqueidentifier CASTS more correctly to a CHAR(36)

  ABS(CHECKSUM(NEWID()) is handy for generating a pseudo-random integer.

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