Sql – How to fix this SQL error on this query

sqlsql-server-2005

DECLARE @providerIdList varchar(400)
DECLARE @q varchar(400)

SELECT @q  =  ''

SELECT @providerIdList = '(1, 5, 15)'


SET @q = 'SELECT u.Id FROM [user] u
    LEFT JOIN Provider p ON u.Provider_FK = p.Id
    LEFT JOIN  Providers2Users pu ON pu.user_FK = u.Id 
    LEFT JOIN Provider ap ON ap.Id = pu.provider_fk
    WHERE p.Id  IN ' + @providerIdList




exec @q

Here is the exception that I am getting when I tried to execute query shown above

Msg 203, Level 16, State 2, Line 18
The name 'SELECT u.Id FROM [user] u
    LEFT JOIN Provider p ON u.Provider_FK = p.Id
    LEFT JOIN  Providers2Users pu ON pu.user_FK = u.Id 
    LEFT JOIN Provider ap ON ap.Id = pu.provider_fk
    WHERE p.Id  IN (1, 5, 15)' is not a valid identifier.

I would really appreciate if somebody can point me the cause of these errors

Best Solution

You're looking for sp_executesql. Do this instead:

DECLARE @providerIdList nvarchar(400)
DECLARE @q nvarchar(400)

SELECT @q  =  N''

SELECT @providerIdList = N'(1, 5, 15)'


SET @q = N'SELECT u.Id FROM [user] u
    LEFT JOIN Provider p ON u.Provider_FK = p.Id
    LEFT JOIN  Providers2Users pu ON pu.user_FK = u.Id 
    LEFT JOIN Provider ap ON ap.Id = pu.provider_fk
    WHERE p.Id  IN ' + @providerIdList

exec sp_executesql @q

What you're doing now is trying to invoke the command as a stored procedure, which it's clearly not. sp_executesql is a system stored procedure, which allows you to execute a valid SQL statement. The system stored procedures are on the master database, FYI.