SQL Server 2008 SELECT * FROM @variable?

Question

It is possible?

DECLARE @vTableName varchar(50)

SET @vTableName = (SELECT TableName FROM qms_Types WHERE Id = 1)

SELECT * FROM @vTableName

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Answer 1

It seems as though different folks are interpreting the OP differently.

I'm pretty sure the OP is asking for this type of concept / ability / maneuver...

"Put a table name into a variable and then use that variable as though it were a table name."

DECLARE @TableIWantRecordsFrom varchar(50)
--      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

SET @TableIWantRecordsFrom = (SELECT TableName FROM qms_Types WHERE Id = 1) -- (L1)
--  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-- Let's say, at this point, @TableIWantRecordsFrom ... contains the text 'Person'
--                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

-- assuming that is the case then...
-- these two queries are supposed to return the same results:

SELECT top 3 fname,lname,mi,department,floor FROM Person
--                                                ^^^^^^
SELECT top 3 fname,lname,mi,department,floor FROM @TableIWantRecordsFrom -- (L2)
--                                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

From reading all the responses and answers, it appears that this kind of maneuver can't be done - unless - you use dynamic SQL which...

• can be a bit of a pain to create and maintain and
• can be more work to create than the time it "saves" you in the future.

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There are other languages where this can be done... in literally, two lines of code (see (L1) and (L2) in above code) and not having to do a lot of formatting and editing.)

(I've done it before - there is another language where all you'd need is L1 and L2...)

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It is unfortunate that SQL Server will not do this without going to a decent amount of effort...

• first write your SQL then
• test it to make sure it does, in fact, work then
• frame each line with tick marks and then escape your ticks that are now inside THOSE tick marks
• declare the variable
• set the variable to the sql statement you ticked above
• (I may be missing some additional steps)
• Oh, and then, if you ever need to maintain it
•     you need to either, be very careful and just edit it right there, as is, and hope you get it all just right -or- you may have saved a copy of it... un-ticked and un-variablized so you can edit the "real" sql and then when you're done you can RE DO these steps... again.