Posted by Erland Sommarskog on 10/01/68 11:19

(bozzzza@lycos.co.uk) writes:
> Is it possible to tell sql server to cast to a datatype and set the
> field length to a variable.
>
> e.g. :-
>
> declare @flen int
> set @flen = 10
>
> select (cast somefield as char(@flen) newfield)
> into newtable
> from sometable
>
> I have also tried :-
> select (cast somefield as char(max(len(somefield))) newfield)
> into newtable
> from sometable
>
> When I try the above examples I get error in @flen; error in max
> respectivly.

No, you would have to use dynamic SQL for that. Seems easier to use
varchar.

What do you want to achieve, really?


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

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