Hi all

I'm using SQL Server 2005 express and the adventureworks sample database to
try and refresh my memory with SQL Server (It's been about 5 years since I
last used it a lot). Can anyone help with a basic question...?

I've written two queries now - one works - one doesn't and I'm not sure why.

The syntax in both is identical (select * from HumanResources.Shift) but one
gives me an "invalid syntax near ." but the other works fine. The only
difference in how I've written them is the one that worked I wrote by right
clkicking on the adventureworks icon on the object explorer. The other one
I just did "File, New, Query with Current Connection".

Must be something fundamental I'm doing wrong. Can anyone help?

Cheers
Rob

lk (gofyself (AT) wrong (DOT) address.com) writes:
Copy and paste both queries in a reply to this post.


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...ons/books.mspx

"Erland Sommarskog" <esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se> wrote



select *
from HumanResources.Shift

lk (gofyself (AT) wrong (DOT) address.com) writes:
So this was the query that compiled. At least in runs on my machine.

I think the query with the syntax error is more interesting. Verify
that it gives any error before you post.



--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...ons/books.mspx

"Erland Sommarskog" <esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se> wrote


I have tried the query above twice in two separate windows - one works, one
doesn't.

It's as if one window is connected to the db and one isn't - but I don't
know how to establish the connection.
Therefore I had already verified that it gave me an error (invalid object)
before I posted.

lk (gofyself (AT) wrong (DOT) address.com) writes:
In your original post you said that the error was "invalid syntax near .".
There are situations when you can get syntax error in one database, but
not another, when the databases has different compatibility settings. But
I could not see that your query could have this effect.

Now you present a different error message: "invalid object", which casts
the problem in an entirely different light. You are simply running the
query from the wrong database. In the toolbar in Mmgt Studio there is a
dropdown where you can select which to database to work from. You can
also change the current database with the USE command:

USE AdventureWorks
go

In the future, make the habit to always post error messages in verbatim.
Thereby you can avoid this kind of confusion.


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel (AT) sommarskog (DOT) se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...ons/books.mspx