Luis Cazares (6/28/2013)
There's a better way, you need to check for Dynamic SQL. Check the article Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs[/url] and come back if you need more help.
In the thread I linked to, there was an example using PIVOT to accomplish this goal, with a similar comment to search out examples of Dynamic SQL & PIVOT.
The problem with PIVOT - and we've tested using the example given - is that it doesn't automatically collapse data together, it maintains the placement of nulls if there doesn't happen to be a record in that "slot" for a given customer. Doesn't seem like a big deal, until you realize that the table this will ultimately fill will be 123 columns wide (not what I'd prefer, but I don't have any other options).
The CROSS APPLY, because it's using a UNION, takes the next available value and tacks it on and there's no nulls between values.
Last, but not least, PIVOT took longer than the CROSS APPLY when it was run against the full set of live data on just the three columns in the sample I provided.