Question

I’m using microsoft Access.

If this query:

(SELECT FERMENT.FermentId
FROM FERMENT
INNER JOIN [BELGIUM BEER]
ON
FERMENT.FermentName = [BELGIUM BEER].FermentId ORDER BY [BELGIUM BEER].BeerId) a

returns FermentId, how do I update a different table with that column?

Example:

UPDATE EXAMPLETABLE
SET EXAMPLETABLE.FermentId = a.FermentId
FROM a
(SELECT FERMENT.FermentId
FROM FERMENT
INNER JOIN [BELGIUM BEER]
ON
FERMENT.FermentName = [BELGIUM BEER].FermentId ORDER BY [BELGIUM BEER].BeerId) a

Answer 1

Assuming that the sub-query returns more than one value, you need a second key to connect (JOIN) between the new values and the table you want to update (EXAMPLETABLE).

In this case I would try something like this:

UPDATE T 
SET    T.FERMENTID = A.FERMENTID 
FROM   EXAMPLETABLE AS T 
       INNER JOIN (SELECT FERMENT.FERMENTID, 
                          FERMENT.OTHERID 
                   FROM   FERMENT 
                          INNER JOIN [BELGIUM BEER] 
                                  ON FERMENT.FERMENTNAME = 
                                     [BELGIUM BEER].FERMENTID 
                   ORDER  BY [BELGIUM BEER].BEERID) AS A 
               ON A.OTHERID = T.OTHERID 

If this isn’t the case and the sub-query returns a single value, try something like this:

UPDATE EXAMPLETABLE 
SET    T.FERMENTID = (SELECT FERMENT.FERMENTID
                      FROM   FERMENT 
                             INNER JOIN [BELGIUM BEER] 
                                     ON FERMENT.FERMENTNAME = 
                                        [BELGIUM BEER].FERMENTID 
                      ORDER  BY [BELGIUM BEER].BEERID)

Note that in this case you need to guarantee that the sub-query will never return more than one row!