Using Prepared Statements to set Table Name

Question

I'm trying to use prepared statements to set a table name to select data from, but I keep getting an error when I execute the query.

The error and sample code is displayed below.

[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Parameter 'Pa_RaM000' specified where a table name is required.



private String query1 = "SELECT plantID, edrman, plant, vaxnode FROM [?]"; //?=date
public Execute(String reportDate){
    try {

        Class.forName("sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver");
        Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(Display.DB_MERC);
        PreparedStatement st = conn.prepareStatement(query1);
        st.setString(1, reportDate);
        ResultSet rs = st.executeQuery();

Any thoughts on what might be causing this?

Answer 1

A table name can't be used as a parameter. It must be hard coded. So you can do something like:

private String query1 = "SELECT plantID, edrman, plant, vaxnode FROM [" + reportDate + "?]";

Answer 2

This is technically possible with a workaround, but very bad practice.

String sql = "IF ? = 99\n";
sql += "SELECT * FROM first_table\n";
sql += "ELSE\n";
sql += "SELECT * FROM second_table";
PreparedStatement ps = con.prepareStatement(sql);

And then when you want to select from first_table you set the parameter with

ps.setInt(1, 99);

Or if not, you set it to something else.

Answer 3

As a number of people have said, you can't use a statement parameter for a table name, only for variables as part of the condition.

Based on the fact you have a variable table name with (at least) two table names, perhaps it would be best to create a method which takes the entity you are storing and returns a prepared statement.

PreparedStatement p = createStatement(table);

Answer 4

This might help:

public ResultSet getSomething(String tableName) {

PreparedStatement ps = conn.prepareStatement("select * from \`"+tableName+"\`");
ResultSet rs = ps.executeQuery();
}

Answer 5

I'm not sure you can use a PreparedStatement to specify the name of the table, just the value of some fields. Anyway, you could try the same query but, without the brackets:

"SELECT plantID, edrman, plant, vaxnode FROM ?"

Answer 6

String table="pass"; 

String st="select * from " + table + " ";

PreparedStatement ps=con.prepareStatement(st);

ResultSet rs = ps.executeQuery();

Answer 7

There is a way to pass table name as a variable

String NameOfTable="test.Employee";

String Fquery="SELECT * FROM "+NameOfTable+" where Done='No'";

Note: there should be a space between FROM and the succeeding " and also between " and where keyword