Access a table with a "dynamic name"

  • Hi,

    This query works fine:

    SET @cnt = ( SELECT COUNT(*) FROM myTable )

    How do I do this if I don't know the tablename during designtime?

    For example, I have three tables named myTable1, myTable2 and myTable3

    I would like this:

    SET @nr = '2'

    SET @cnt = ( SELECT COUNT(*) FROM 'myTable'+@nr )

    Obviously this doesn't work.... what should I do?

    EXEC('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM myTable'+@nr) should work, but how do I get the return value?

    Thanks,

    Ray

  • here is a quick example that can get you started:

    declare @sql varchar(150), @rec_count int

    --hold the temp rec count for the dynamic query into a temp table of the procedure

    create table #tmpcount(rec_count int)

    --setup the dynamic sql and execute

    set @sql = 'insert into #tmpcount (rec_count) select count(*) rec_count from mytable' --place your number concat here

    exec (@sql)

    --return the temp table value into a variable

    set @rec_count = (select rec_count from #tmpcount)

    --just printing so you can see the result

    print @rec_count

    --clean up the temp table

    drop table #tmpcount

    hth

  • Executing your final statement will return the value. Now if you are talking about running this in a loop you need a table variable to store the results and the do:

    Insert Into @table

    Exec(Sql statement)

    I would also insert the table name that I am getting the rowcount from. If you really just want the row counts without a filter you could run:

    [font="Courier New"]SELECT

        T.name AS table_name

        P.rows

    FROM

        sys.partitions P JOIN

        sys.tables T ON

            P.OBJECT_ID = T.OBJECT_ID JOIN

        sys.indexes I ON

            P.index_id = I.index_id AND

            T.OBJECT_ID = I.OBJECT_ID

    WHERE

        I.index_Id <= 1 AND-- clustered index or heap

        T.name IN (

    )

    [/font]

  • If you must do this, parameterize the query and use sp_executesql. You can then capture output parameters. Something like this:

    DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(MAX)

    DECLARE @count INT

    DECLARE @tablename NVARCHAR(MAX)

    SET @tablename = N'TestTable'

    SET @sql = N'SELECT @count = COUNT(*) FROM ' + @tablename

    EXEC sp_executesql @sql, @params = N'@count int OUTPUT',@count = @count OUTPUT

    SELECT @count

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

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