SQL Server 2005 Pivot on Unknown Number of Columns

Question

I am working with a set of data that looks something like the following.

StudentName  | AssignmentName |  Grade
---------------------------------------
StudentA     | Assignment 1   | 100
StudentA     | Assignment 2   | 80
StudentA     | Total          | 180
StudentB     | Assignment 1   | 100
StudentB     | Assignment 2   | 80
StudentB     | Assignment 3   | 100
StudentB     | Total          | 280

The name and number of assignments are dynamic, I need to get results simlilar to the following.

Student      | Assignment 1  | Assignment 2  | Assignment 3  | Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Student A    | 100           | 80            | null          | 180
Student B    | 100           | 80            | 100           | 280

Now ideally I would like to sort the column based on a "due date" that could be included/associated with each assignment. The total should be at the end if possible (It can be calculated and removed from the query if possible.)

I know how to do it for the 3 assignments using pivot with simply naming the columns, it is trying to do it in a dynamic fashion that I haven't found a GOOD solution for yet. I am trying to do this on SQL Server 2005

EDIT

Ideally I would like to implement this WITHOUT using Dynamic SQL, as that is against the policy. If it isn't possible...then a working example with Dynamic SQL will work.

Answer 1

The only way I've found to do this is to use dynamic SQL and put the column labels into a variable.

Answer 2

you could query information_schema to get the column names and types, then use the result as a subquery when you build your result set. Note you'll likely have to change the login's access a bit.

Answer 3

I know you said no dynamic SQL, but I don't see any way to do it in straight SQL.

If you check out my answers to similar problems at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/159456/pivot-table-and-concatenate-columns-sql-problem#159803 and http://stackoverflow.com/questions/198716/pivot-in-sql-2005#199763

The dynamic SQL there is not vulnerable to injection, and there is no good reason to prohibit it. Another possibility (if the data is changing very infrequently) is to do code-generation - instead of dynamic SQL, the SQL is generated to a stored procedure on a regular basis.

Answer 4

Hi,

I'm pretty sure this is not possible.

I wrote a stored procedure to create crosstabs a while ago. It's at http://www.johnmacintyre.ca/codespct.asp

It DOES use dynamic sql, and there is a danger if the parameters are coming from your website or if the @rowFld, @colFld, or @ValFld columns in your database have SQL injection attacks.

Good luck. John

Answer 5

This is the same as http://stackoverflow.com/questions/198716/pivot-in-sql-2005#198879

If this data is for consumption in a report you could use a SSRS matrix. It will generate columns dynamically from result set. I've used it many times - it works quite well for dynamic crosstab reports.

Here's a good example w/ dynamic sql. http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/andras/archive/2007/09/14/37265.aspx

Answer 6

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/333181/a-question-about-datagrid-and-sql-query

Answer 7

select studentname,[Assign1],[Assign2],[Assign3],[Total] from ( select studentname, assignname, grade from student )s pivot(sum(Grade) for assignname IN([Assign1],[Assign2],[Assign3],[Total])) as pvt