JB

You'll know the reserved words because they appear pink or blue in Query Analyzer.

John

With your sample data, ordering by max or by min will give the same result.  However, if your data looked like this, you would get a different results and then...

Brian

Yes - go as if you're installing SQL Server, but choose Client Tools instead when you're given the choice.

John

Will this work?

select sectionname, count(sectionname)

from sectionnames

group by sectionname

order by max(cont_section_id)

John

Adnan

If it's working for you, then go with it.  I tried rewriting using ANSI join syntax, and I got a bit bogged down... I'm sure someone else will be able...

Adnan

Is this a homework question?  Show us what you've come up with so far, and we'll try to point you in the right direction?

John

Richard

You're right - TOP 1.  And, on seeing it again, I don't think you need the parentheses round TOP 1 ... cTime.

I don't understand what you mean about the top...

Then how about this?

declare @trackingCode char(4)

select @trackingcode = (top1 trackingCode

            FROM  tblSerial ( READPAST, ROWLOCK) ORDER BY cTime)

This won't work for system databases or if your database is published for replication.

For replicated databases the easiest workaround is to back it up and restore to the new location...

Debbie

I'm assuming that the combination of UPN, FROM_DATE and TO_DATE is unique.. if not then you'll have to add extra logic.

This is untested, since you didn't provide any DDL or...

Graham

Glad it worked.  I'm sure you have thought about what happens if a pair of siblings don't share the same surname, or live at different addresses, or live at the...

Jay

From preliminary inspection, it seems to be failing because you've commented out the INNER JOIN clauses but not the predicates (the ON parts).

You should alias your tables - this would...

Ankit

No need to post the same question more than once, please.  Answered here:

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/forums/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=120&messageid=340005

John

Graham

My first advice to you would be to alias your tables and get rid of those unnecessary parentheses.  That will make your queries much easier to read.

Now, will this work?

John

I didn't get this one right, but it made me laugh!

John