Sorting Months By Number (SQL Spackle)

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Sorting Months By Number (SQL Spackle)

Jeff Moden

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Points: 1004406
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November 13, 2010 at 1:33 pm

#228790

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Sorting Months By Number (SQL Spackle)
--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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Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004406 More actions · Answer 1

Heh... Yowch! I guess I should only expect 3 stars because these types of articles are so very short and written to specific problems that several folks said they'd like to see. Still, it would be nice to hear back from those folks that gave the lower ratings so we can find out what they'd really like to see. 😉

--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.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

N.North SSC Journeyman Points: 91 More actions · Answer 2

You could go for casting the month numbers to names in the select rather than in the ORDER BY clause, as it allows you to use MONTH in most places, and DATENAME only once, which feels more natural:

SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm, DATEADD(mm, MONTH(SomeDateTime), 0)),

Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)

FROM #MyHead

WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'

GROUP BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)

ORDER BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)

Pete Cox SSChasing Mays Points: 636 More actions · Answer 3

Hi Jeff,

I might consider using something like this approach

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Months](

[MonthName] [nvarchar](10) NOT NULL,

[MonthCalendarSequence] [int] NOT NULL,

[MonthFinancialSequance] [int] NOT NULL

) ON [PRIMARY]

Insert into Months Values ('January',1,10)

Insert into Months Values ('February',2,11)

Insert into Months Values ('March',3,12)

Insert into Months Values ('April',4,1)

Insert into Months Values ('May',5,2)

Insert into Months Values ('June',6,3)

Insert into Months Values ('July',7,4)

Insert into Months Values ('August',8,5)

Insert into Months Values ('September',9,6)

Insert into Months Values ('October',10,7)

Insert into Months Values ('November',11,8)

Insert into Months Values ('December',12,9)

SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),

Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)

FROM #MyHead h inner join months m on m.monthname = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime)

WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'

GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime)

order by max(m.monthcalendarsequence)

Can't really decide what would be best

Pete

Ola L Martins-329921 Mr or Mrs. 500 Points: 542 More actions · Answer 4

Maybe the low ratings is due to the fact that most programmers and db-developers "know" this solution already: The old "sort numbers stored as text as numbers"... ("1" ,"2"..."10", "11" and NOT "1", "10", "11", "2", "3"...).

I like the technique, but you should clarify "any year" is not actually any year, it is a valid year within the sql server time span...

Henk Schreij SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4554 More actions · Answer 5

Jeff Moden (11/15/2010)
Still, it would be nice to hear back from those folks that gave the lower ratings . . .

I didn't give a low rating, but found a slip of the pen (it confused me for a moment).

-- This builds a table with random dates and amounts for 20 years

-- starting in the year 2000.

SELECT TOP (1000000)

SomeDateTime = RAND(CHECKSUM(NEWID()))*7305 + CAST('2005' AS DATETIME),

The 2000 from the comment is not the same as the CAST('2005' AS DATETIME)

hugo-939487 SSC Enthusiast Points: 143 More actions · Answer 6

Another variaton, using the MONTH function:

SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),

Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)

FROM #MyHead

WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'

GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime), MONTH(SomeDateTime)

ORDER BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)

;

james.wheeler10 SSC Enthusiast Points: 127 More actions · Answer 7

What happens when you're reporting on a period greater than a year?

Won't both of the overlapping month's figures will be aggregated into a single month aggregate total?

manub22 Hall of Fame Points: 3163 More actions · Answer 8

How about this:

select datename(M,convert(varchar,months)+'/01/2010') as days

from (select 1 as months union

select 2 as months union

select 3 as months union

select 4 as months union

select 5 as months union

select 6 as months union

select 7 as months union

select 8 as months union

select 9 as months union

select 10 as months union

select 11 as months union

select 12 as months ) as M

order by convert(datetime,convert(varchar,months)+'/01/2010')

~manoj | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube
Blog: SQLwithManoj.com

sharath.chalamgari SSCertifiable Points: 5680 More actions · Answer 9

SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),Year(Somedatetime),

Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)

FROM #MyHead

GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),Year(Somedatetime)

ORDER BY CAST(DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime) + ' 1900' AS DATETIME),Year(Somedatetime)

james.wheeler10 (11/15/2010)
What happens when you're reporting on a period greater than a year?
Won't both of the overlapping month's figures will be aggregated into a single month aggregate total?

Kristian Ask SSC Eights! Points: 907 More actions · Answer 10

hugo-939487 (11/15/2010)
Another variaton, using the MONTH function:
SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),
Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)
FROM #MyHead
WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'
GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime), MONTH(SomeDateTime)
ORDER BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)
;

This is the best one, I think. Adding MONTH function won't change the grouping as it's the same and it will still use seek. You can also use DATEPART(mm, SomeDate).

Trey Staker SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4796 More actions · Answer 11

Ola L Martins-329921 (11/15/2010)
Maybe the low ratings is due to the fact that most programmers and db-developers "know" this solution already: The old "sort numbers stored as text as numbers"... ("1" ,"2"..."10", "11" and NOT "1", "10", "11", "2", "3"...).
I like the technique, but you should clarify "any year" is not actually any year, it is a valid year within the sql server time span...

I agree with you that most programmers and db-developers should already know this. Also as Jeff wrote in his article this is something that when possible should be handled by the application. However this article was requested because it keeps coming up as a question in the forums. Also remember that a lot of the people who visit these forums may not be as advanced as you.

Jeff, great "Spackle" article. Thanks.

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Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398909 More actions · Answer 12

Sweet. I like it. I like the format and I think it's perfect that it was lead out of the gate by Jeff. Nice, direct and to the point solution. Thanks for posting it.

"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:
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Geoff A SSChampion Points: 11511 More actions · Answer 13

Kristian Ask (11/15/2010)
hugo-939487 (11/15/2010)
Another variaton, using the MONTH function:
SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),
Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)
FROM #MyHead
WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'
GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime), MONTH(SomeDateTime)
ORDER BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)
;
This is the best one, I think. Adding MONTH function won't change the grouping as it's the same and it will still use seek. You can also use DATEPART(mm, SomeDate).

it really isn't the best one. when you compare Jeff's ORDER BY clause vs the one above, Jeff's is more efficient.

I had to test to confirm because I assumed the CAST would cost more, but it doesn't.....

N.North SSC Journeyman Points: 91 More actions · Answer 14

Geoff A (11/15/2010)
Kristian Ask (11/15/2010)
hugo-939487 (11/15/2010)
Another variaton, using the MONTH function:
SELECT [Month] = DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime),
Amount = SUM(SomeAmount)
FROM #MyHead
WHERE SomeDateTime >= '2010' AND SomeDateTime < '2011'
GROUP BY DATENAME(mm,SomeDateTime), MONTH(SomeDateTime)
ORDER BY MONTH(SomeDateTime)
;
This is the best one, I think. Adding MONTH function won't change the grouping as it's the same and it will still use seek. You can also use DATEPART(mm, SomeDate).
it really isn't the best one. when you compare Jeff's ORDER BY clause vs the one above, Jeff's is more efficient.
I had to test to confirm because I assumed the CAST would cost more, but it doesn't.....

That's really interesting - I assumed ordering by MONTH(SomeDateTime) would have to be more efficient. I still prefer it aesthetically, but it's a useful reminder not to make assumptions.