Question

Consider the following script:

DECLARE @path varchar(MAX)
DECLARE @script varchar(MAX)
SET @path = (SELECT physical_name FROM sys.master_files where name = 'master');
SET @path = REPLACE(@path, 'master.mdf', '');
SELECT @path;

SET @script = 
'CREATE DATABASE test
 ON PRIMARY
 (NAME = test_primary,
  FILENAME = ''' + @path + 'test_primary.mdf'',
  SIZE = 10MB,
  FILEGROWTH = 10MB)';

exec(@script);

USE test

When I try to run it all at once I get an error:

Msg 911, Level 16, State 1, Line 31
Database 'test' does not exist. Make sure that the name is entered correctly.

If I first run exec and then separately run USE it all goes fine.

The question is, how can I work-around it, so that it’d be possible to run the whole script at once with no errors?

Answer 1

SQL Server compiles the code for one batch at a time. When your code is compiled the database does not exist.

Add a batch separator before use test.

DECLARE @path varchar(MAX)
DECLARE @script varchar(MAX)
SET @path = (SELECT physical_name FROM sys.master_files where name = 'master');
SET @path = REPLACE(@path, 'master.mdf', '');
SELECT @path;

SET @script = 
'CREATE DATABASE test
 ON PRIMARY
 (NAME = test_primary,
  FILENAME = ''' + @path + 'test_primary.mdf'',
  SIZE = 10MB,
  FILEGROWTH = 10MB)';

exec(@script);

GO

USE test