create procedure select_table

@table varchar(100)

as

declare @sql varchar(1000)

select @sql='select * from'+@table

exec(@Sql)

Thanks for this... it's just what was needed and is now being used in other places as well.

As for why bank holidays make such a difference?  Well because no one...

I beasically just want to take the text file move it into a SQL database for storage(Once I've got it in there will be updates to run etc, it's just...

Thanks for making me look!

I was pretty certain I'd set the fields up as varchars but sure enought they are all chars.

Thanks.

forget I ever asked this question!

Problem all sorted I'd forgotten to remove the previous backup thus it backed up into 2 files.

I feel a bit silly.

Hi, 

here is the file format of one of the files that I have to import.

    1      FORENAME              ...

Cheers for that... can someone give me some advice on how to utilise a format file I read up on the internet about bcp's but couldn't find one that explained...

I was removing a few old programs that haven't been used for years and tiding up our user directories.  Had to do a reboot of the server, hence stop SQL.

No need to worry anymore... I just rebuilt the SQL server installation and went a bit crazy with sp_attach_db.

Everything is up and running.

Cheers for the help guys.

When I run it from the command prompt it still fails.

The interesting thing is the path though.  That's actually intact, though it is duplicated in there...

I use this, it's not for reports but for data sampling:

SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON

GO

SET ANSI_NULLS ON

GO

ALTER  PROCEDURE NTH

@table varchar(100),

@destination varchar(100),

@number varchar(100)

AS

DECLARE @sql varchar(2000)

select @sql='select top '+@number+ ' *...

That explains a lot as I wasn't using SQLmail to send the program but CDOSYS as we don't have SQL mail set up and use CDOSYS which is fine until...

I've used dynamic sql before and had a nightmare over it, and figured that it wouldn't be necessary with this procedure I'm writing.

The problem I've got though is building in...

Thanks this is brilliant.

All my previous dedupes I've done have involved doing loops and therefore took a while, I knew a self join might be a way forward but never...

I completley agree with you, it is a data collection issue.  I've always prefered to keep my names into separate fields for this very reason.  Hence the fact I was...