Cursor Declaration Blues

Hi!

While working for a client on a SQL Server 6.5 SP5a, I got the following error when running the code below in first SQL Enterprise Manager 6.5 and then SQL Query Analyzer 7.0:

IF @Departures = 1
DECLARE TableCursor CURSOR
FOR SELECT AcType,
BackPax = CASE BackPax
WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BackPax END,
BestPax = CASE BestPax
WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BestPax END,
DepTime,
FlightNumber,
ArrStn
FROM #TimeCall
ORDER BY DepTime, FlightNumber
ELSE
DECLARE TableCursor CURSOR
FOR SELECT AcType,
BackPax = CASE BackPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BackPax END,
BestPax = CASE BestPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BestPax END,
ArrTime,
FlightNumber,
DepStn
FROM #TimeCall
ORDER BY ArrTime, FlightNumber

And the error I get when the query is run for the first time after switching tool:

Server: Msg 202, Level 11, State 2, Procedure CreateFile, Line 178
Internal error -- Unable to open table at query execution time.
Server: Msg 202, Level 11, State 1, Procedure CreateFile, Line 188
Internal error -- Unable to open table at query execution time.

If I run the query again in one of the tools, it works. It also works if I use WITH RECOMPILE in the stored proc header.

If I use the code below, it also works, and without RECOMPILE:

DECLARE @SqlStr varchar( 255 )

IF @Departures = 1
SELECT @SqlStr = 'DECLARE TableCursor CURSOR ' +
'FOR SELECT AcType, ' +
'BackPax = CASE BackPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BackPax END, ' +
'BestPax = CASE BestPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BestPax END, ' +
'DepTime, FlightNumber, ArrStn ' +
'FROM #TimeCall ORDER BY DepTime, FlightNumber'
ELSE
SELECT @SqlStr = 'DECLARE TableCursor CURSOR ' +
'FOR SELECT AcType, ' +
'BackPax = CASE BackPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BackPax END, ' +
'BestPax = CASE BestPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BestPax END, ' +
'ArrTime, FlightNumber, DepStn ' +
'FROM #TimeCall ORDER BY ArrTime, FlightNumber'
EXECUTE( @SqlStr )

Trying to get around the problem with the following code did not do any good:

DECLARE TableCursor CURSOR FOR
SELECT AcType,
BackPax = CASE BackPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BackPax END,
BestPax = CASE BestPax WHEN NULL THEN 0 ELSE BestPax END,
CurTime = CASE @Departures
WHEN 1 THEN DepTime
ELSE ArrTime END,
FlightNumber,
OtherStation = CASE @Departures
WHEN 1 THEN ArrStn
ELSE DepStn END
FROM #TimeCall
ORDER BY CurTime, FlightNumber

Server: Msg 202, Level 11, State 2, Procedure CreateFile, Line 176
Internal error -- Unable to open table at query execution time.

Anyone have some good ideas on why this happens?

Brgds

Jonas Hilmersson