Query to get column name with specific value

[kj]

Here is tested schema

if exists (select * from dbo.sysobjects where id =
object_id(N'[dbo].[TestTable]') and OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N'IsUserTable')
= 1)
drop table [dbo].[TestTable]
GO

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[TestTable] (
[SerialNumber] [char] (12) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL
,
[test1] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test2] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test3] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test4] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL
) ON [PRIMARY]
GO

insert into testtable values ('123','pass',null,'fail','skip')
insert into testtable values ('456','fail',null,'pass','skip')
insert into testtable values ('789',null,'fail','skip','pass')
insert into testtable values ('345','pass','pass','pass','fail')

I would like to fetch the COLUMNNAME where the value is fail.
Basically I need to know which test failed, test1, test2, test3 or
test4?

Is this possible?

[Dan Guzman]

One method:

SELECT CASE
WHEN test1 = 'fail' THEN 'test1'
WHEN test2 = 'fail' THEN 'test2'
WHEN test3 = 'fail' THEN 'test3'
WHEN test4 = 'fail' THEN 'test4'
END AS Test
FROM testtable

This could also be accomplished with a rather ugly dynamic SQL script but
I'd rather not go there. You might consider revising your schema to
eliminate the repeating data. It's a lot easier to query data when your
data is in 1NF. Suggested alternative:

CREATE TABLE TestTable
(
SerialNumber char (12) NOT NULL,
TestNumber int NOT NULL,
TestResult varchar(10),
CONSTRAINT PK_TestTable PRIMARY KEY(SerialNumber, TestNumber)
)

--
Hope this helps.

Dan Guzman
SQL Server MVP

"kj" <kj****@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:66**************************@posting.google.c om...

Here is tested schema

if exists (select * from dbo.sysobjects where id =
object_id(N'[dbo].[TestTable]') and OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N'IsUserTable')
= 1)
drop table [dbo].[TestTable]
GO

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[TestTable] (
[SerialNumber] [char] (12) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL
,
[test1] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test2] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test3] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
[test4] [char] (4) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL
) ON [PRIMARY]
GO

insert into testtable values ('123','pass',null,'fail','skip')
insert into testtable values ('456','fail',null,'pass','skip')
insert into testtable values ('789',null,'fail','skip','pass')
insert into testtable values ('345','pass','pass','pass','fail')

I would like to fetch the COLUMNNAME where the value is fail.
Basically I need to know which test failed, test1, test2, test3 or
test4?

Is this possible?

[kj]

Thanks. I have already changed the schema. This is legacy stuff I am
trying to clean up but I needed to migrate the data to the new schema.