How to choose returned column name in a SELECT FOR XML query?

Eero_4505 0
Viewed 46389

MS SQL has a convenient workaround for concatenating a column value from multiple rows into one value:

SELECT col1
 FROM table1
 WHERE col2 = 'x'
 ORDER by col3
 FOR XML path('')

and that returns a nice recordset:

XML_F52E2B61-18A1-11d1-B105-00805F49916B                                     
---------------------------------------- 
<col1>Foo</col1><col1>Bar</col1>

only the column name in the returned recordset is rather nasty!

The column name seems to include random elements (or a GUID), and hence I am reluctant to use it in my application (different instances or different servers might have another GUID). Unfortunately I cannot use * to select the value, and due to the restrictions in the existing application I cannot iterate through returned columns, either...

Is there a way to force the column name in the returned recordset to something more sensible?

sql-server-2005 xml sql-server sql
6 Answers

That should do:

select(
SELECT col1
 FROM table1
 WHERE col2 = 'x'
 ORDER by col3
 FOR XML path('')
) as myName

Not pretty but should give the result that you need

kristof_32410 
DECLARE @XmlData XML;
SET @XmlData =(SELECT * FROM [dbo].[Users] ORDER by UserName FOR XML path(''))
SELECT @XmlData AS Result
user_88428240 
DECLARE @XmlData XML;

SET @XmlData = (
        SELECT *
        FROM [dbo].[TABLE1]
        FOR XML PATH('ChildNodeDetailsResponse')
            ,ROOT('ParentNode')
        )

SELECT @XmlData AS Result
user_88428240
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