“Distinct” column in SQL query results

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“Distinct” column in SQL query results

Nickson Asiimwe

SSC Eights!

Points: 812
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July 21, 2010 at 5:10 am

#221501

I have the following data
COL1 COL2
1 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
And would like a query to give out the below output
COL1 COL2 COL3
1 0TY/OK 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK 2KP/L
1 0TY/OK 7U5/2M
1 0TY/OK
1 0TY/OK
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
2 2KP/L
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
3 7U5/2M
I want COL3 to return the distinct values of COL2
Using SELECT COL1, COL2, DISTINCT COL2 AS COL3 FROM MYTable does not work is SQL SERVER

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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sumit.agrawal SSCommitted Points: 1616 More actions · Answer 1

sumit.agrawal

SSCommitted

Points: 1616

July 21, 2010 at 5:13 am

#1196061

I didn't get ur requirement...

Praveen Goud Kotha Ten Centuries Points: 1141 More actions · Answer 2

Plz re-check your post...

and come with more clarity plz...

[font="Comic Sans MS"]Praveen Goud[/font]

Nickson Asiimwe SSC Eights! Points: 812 More actions · Answer 3

I have made some clarification.

I basically want COL3 to return the Distinct values of COL2, (remove duplicates from COL2 and return the unique values in COL3. Hope am much clear now.

Praveen Goud Kotha Ten Centuries Points: 1141 More actions · Answer 4

What you are going to achieve with this..??

Can i know where you are going to implement(practically) this..?

[font="Comic Sans MS"]Praveen Goud[/font]

shield_21 Ten Centuries Points: 1033 More actions · Answer 5

Hi there,

I hope this helps..

DECLARE @x TABLE (col1 INT, col2 VARCHAR(10))

INSERT INTO @x

SELECT 1,'0TY/OK' UNION ALL

SELECT 2,'2KP/L' UNION ALL

SELECT 3,'7U5/2M' UNION ALL

SELECT 3,'7U5/2M'

;WITH col1_and_col2 AS

(

SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY col1,col2) AS row_num, col1, col2

FROM @x

)

,col3 AS

(

SELECT col2, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY col1,col2) AS row_num

FROM @x

GROUP BY col1,col2

)

SELECT a.col1,a.col2,b.col2 AS col3

FROM col1_and_col2 a

LEFT JOIN col3 b on a.row_num=b.row_num

Cheers!

Nickson Asiimwe SSC Eights! Points: 812 More actions · Answer 6

Praveen Goud Kotha (7/21/2010)
What you are going to achieve with this..??
Can i know where you are going to implement(practically) this..?

I have an SSRS report which takes a value in COL2 as a parameter. Values that will be returned in COL2 are unknown at report design time. The available values for this report parameter should be all the possible (DISTINCT) values that are returned in COL2, so the parameter selection area (prompt) in the report should be a dropdownlist. Unfortunately, COL2 returns duplicate values(see my original post for the example), now COL3 is the solution to the problem of duplicates in the parameter prompt dropdownlist(Instead of providing a parameter dropdownlist with 100 duplicate options, if i return distinct values of COL2 AS COL3, and set my parameter source of values to COL3) i can reduce the available parameter options to say 10 instead of 100 duplicate values.

I would have added a different query to retrieve distinct values of COL2 and then set it to be the source of my parameters available values ,but apparently, SSRS 2005 does not support multiple datasets in a single report.

There is possibly a better way way to accomplish this, am not sure and would like to hear your opinion. thanks

Eugene Elutin SSC Guru Points: 59322 More actions · Answer 7

Have you tried to use the column from the DataSet used for report to populate the Paramaeter ListBox? Does it works at all?

I suggets you creating separate DataSet as SELEct DISTINCT Col2 FROM YoutrTable, and then use it in Available Values for your report Parameter.

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(So many miracle inventions provided by MS to us...)

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Nickson Asiimwe SSC Eights! Points: 812 More actions · Answer 8

Eugene Elutin (7/21/2010)
Have you tried to use the column from the DataSet used for report to populate the Paramaeter ListBox? Does it works at all?

Yes i have done that and it woks, but the parameter dropdownlist has duplication values, and thats what i want to overcome.

Eugene Elutin (7/21/2010)
I suggets you creating separate DataSet as SELEct DISTINCT Col2 FROM YoutrTable, and then use it in Available Values for your report Parameter.

Now thats where the problem is. Can i have two completely seperate SQL queries in a single report dataset? I have tried adding one query just after the other and it cause an error.

Do you know how to define two completely separate queries in a single SQL SERVER 2005 reporting services report??.

I hear support for multiple datasets is only avaialable in sql server 2008

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004405 More actions · Answer 9

Praveen Goud Kotha (7/21/2010)
What you are going to achieve with this..??
Can i know where you are going to implement(practically) this..?

Praveen,

Please change your avatar. I made that avatar and I'd like to keep it for exclusive use. Thanks.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

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