Unintended Escape\Continuation Character, BackSlash, in Executed Variable?

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Unintended Escape\Continuation Character, BackSlash, in Executed Variable?

DB_Newbie2007

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Points: 4446
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July 23, 2014 at 9:57 am

#309442

I was trying to see if there is any documentation regarding the backslash symbol "\" as a escape or continuation character and have not found anything yet.
Here is an example:
DECLARE @Statement varchar(MAX), @Statement1 varchar(MAX);
SET @Statement = 'SELECT top 10 * from dbo.MyTable -- This is a test \
WHERE MyValue is not null';
SET @Statement1 = 'SELECT top 10 * from dbo.MyTable -- This is a test
WHERE MyValue is not null';
PRINT @Statement;
PRINT @Statement1;
The results:
SELECT top 10 * from dbo.MyTable -- This is a test WHERE MyValue is not null
SELECT top 10 * from dbo.MyTable -- This is a test
WHERE MyValue is not null
You can imagine my surprise then this type of statement was "executed", i.e.,
EXEC (@Statement);
EXEC (@Statement1);
I can only assume that I "fat fingered" the \ symbol when trying to hit the ENTER button... while this is a simple example, my actual code was 2000 lines long.
Has anyone seen this before? Any documentation out there?
Thanks! 🙂
Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours (Richard Bach, Illusions)

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matzer SSCrazy Eights Points: 9727 More actions · Answer 1

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd207007(v=sql.105).aspx

If you have BOL installed, just lookup '\' in the index.

Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323504 More actions · Answer 2

I had never trippeed over this before either; it's good to know.

Lowell

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DB_Newbie2007 SSCarpal Tunnel Points: 4446 More actions · Answer 3

Peter Brinkhaus (7/24/2014)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd207007(v=sql.105).aspx
If you have BOL installed, just lookup '\' in the index.

Peter, thanks for the link. Honestly, this is one case I never would have thought about checking BOL (and I was in BOL twice yesterday)... I figured it was a bug or some weird anomaly! LOL

Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours (Richard Bach, Illusions)

matzer SSCrazy Eights Points: 9727 More actions · Answer 4

According to the 2014 documentation (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd207007.aspx) this feature was added in SQL 2008. I didn't know of this feature either.

Rudyx - the Doctor SSC-Forever Points: 43695 More actions · Answer 5

add me to the 'newly' informed list as well !

(I guess Microsoft took the hint from Unix kind of like the 'more' command)

RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."