Question

Following the answer from this post, I have something like this:

update MyTable
set column1 = otherTable.SomeColumn,
    column2 = otherTable.SomeOtherColumn
from MyTable
inner join
(select *some complex query here*) as otherTable
on MyTable.key_field = otherTable.key_field;

However, I keep getting this error:

The column prefix ‘otherTable’ does
not match with a table name or alias
name used in the query.

I’m not sure what’s wrong. Can’t I do such an update from a select query like this?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(I’m using *blush* sql server 2000.)

EDIT:

here’s the actual query

update pdx_projects set pr_rpc_slr_amount_year_to_date = summary.SumSLR, pr_rpc_hours_year_to_date = summary.SumHours
    from pdx_projects pr join (
select  pr.pr_pk pr_pk, sum(tc.stc_slr_amount)  SumSLR, sum(tc.stc_worked_hours)  SumHours from pdx_time_and_cost_from_rpc tc 
    join pdx_rpc_projects sp on tc.stc_rpc_project_id = sp.sol_rpc_number
    join pdx_rpc_links sl on sl.sol_fk = sp.sol_pk
    join pdx_projects pr on pr_pk = sl.pr_fk
    where tc.stc_time_card_year = year(getdate())
    group by pr_pk
) as summary

on pr.pr_pk = summary.pr_pk

and the actual error message is

Server: Msg 107, Level 16, State 2,
Line 1 The column prefix ‘summary’
does not match with a table name or
alias name used in the query.

Answer 1

I submit to you this altered query:

update x
set x.pr_rpc_slr_amount_year_to_date = summary.sumSLR, 
    x.pr_rpc_hours_year_to_date = summary.sumHours
from pdx_projects x
join (
    select  pr.pr_pk as pr_pk, 
            sum(tc.stc_slr_amount) as SumSLR, 
            sum(tc.stc_worked_hours) as SumHours 
    from pdx_time_and_cost_from_rpc tc 
    join pdx_rpc_projects sp on tc.stc_rpc_project_id = sp.sol_rpc_number
    join pdx_rpc_links sl on sp.sol_pk = sl.sol_fk
    join pdx_projects pr on sl.pr_fk = pr.pr_pk
    where tc.stc_time_card_year = year(getdate())
    group by pr.pr_pk
) as summary
on x.pr_pk = summary.pr_pk

Notably different here: I don’t re-use the alias pr inside and outside of the complex query. I re-ordered the joins the way I like them (previously referenced table first,) and explicitly notated pr_pk in 2 places. I also changed the update syntax to use update <alias>.