MS Access VBA SQL query debugging select case

Question

In MS Access 2013 VBA I get a syntax error in this SQL-string:

strSQL = "INSERT INTO [man_year] ( man_year_val, year_int, main_research_area, organisation, man_year_source ) SELECT KU.[2007], '2007' AS Expr1, " _
& "select case right(left(KU.man_year_source;6);2) like 'Hu' 3 case right(left(KU.man_year_source;6);2) like 'Sa' 1 case right(left(KU.man_year_source;6);2) like 'Te' 2 case right(left(KU.man_year_source;6);2) like 'Su' 4 case right(left(KU.man_year_source;6);2) like 'Ud' 5 AS Expr2, " _
& "4 AS Expr3, " _
& "select switch" _
& "(left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1. '; 1;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.1'; 4;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.2'; 5;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.3'; 6;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.4'; 7;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.5'; 8;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '1.6'; 9;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2. '; 2;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.1'; 47;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.2'; 48;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.3'; 49;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.4'; 50;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.5'; 51;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '2.6'; 52;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3. '; 3;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.1'; 53;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.2'; 54;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.3'; 55;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.4'; 56;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.5'; 57;" _
& "left(KU.man_year_source;3) like '3.6'; 58) from KU;"

I get the error in the CASE-part, but that might be because it hasn't reached the SWITCH-part yet. :-) Can anyone please help, I cannot find the error.

Best pmelch

Answer 1

I see at least two issues with your SQL statement:

First, Access SQL does not support the CASE keyword. If you were thinking of the CASE ... WHEN construct in T-SQL (Microsoft SQL Server) then the equivalent in Access SQL is the Switch() function (ref: here). You can think of the Switch() function as doing

Switch(when1, then1, when2, then2, ...)

Second, as far as I know Access SQL only supports period (.) as the decimal symbol and comma (,) as the list separator, even if the Regional Settings on your machine specify other values (e.g., comma (,) as the decimal symbol and semi-colon (;) as the list separator). In other words, I'm fairly certain that

left(KU.man_year_source;3)

will never work; you'll need to use

left(KU.man_year_source,3)

instead.