Insert multiple values using INSERT INTO (SQL Server 2005)

Question

In SQL Server 2005, I'm trying to figure out why I'm not able to insert multiple fields into a table. The following query, which inserts one record, works fine:

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
           ([FieldID]
           ,[Description])
     VALUES
           (1000,N'test')

However, the following query, which specifies more than one value, fails:

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
           ([FieldID]
           ,[Description])
     VALUES
           (1000,N'test'),(1001,N'test2')

I get this message:

Msg 102, Level 15, State 1, Line 5
Incorrect syntax near ','.

When I looked up the help for INSERT in SQL Sever Management Studio, one of their examples showed using the "Values" syntax that I used (with groups of values in parentheses and separated by commas). The help documentation I found in SQL Server Management Studio looks like it's for SQL Server 2008, so perhaps that's the reason that the insert doesn't work. Either way, I can't figure out why it won't work.

Answer 1

The syntax you are using is new to SQL Server 2008:

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
       ([FieldID]
       ,[Description])
 VALUES
       (1000,N'test'),(1001,N'test2')

For SQL Server 2005, you will have to use multiple INSERT statements:

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
       ([FieldID]
       ,[Description])
 VALUES
       (1000,N'test')

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
       ([FieldID]
       ,[Description])
 VALUES
       (1001,N'test2')

One other option is to use UNION ALL:

INSERT INTO [MyDB].[dbo].[MyTable]
       ([FieldID]
       ,[Description])
SELECT 1000, N'test' UNION ALL
SELECT 1001, N'test2'

Answer 2

You can also use the following syntax:-

INSERT INTO MyTable (FirstCol, SecondCol)
SELECT 'First' ,1
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Second' ,2
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Third' ,3
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Fourth' ,4
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Fifth' ,5
GO

From here