SQL Server - Convert Rows into Columns and save data in a Table

I have used this method in one of my projects and thought it might be useful for somebody with similar requirement.

Let us assume, I have a table named dbo.Books, and it has a column named price and category. I want to extract the Max. (or the Sum) Price in each Category using a single Query and save the result in a table for future reference.

Therefore, create the dbo.Books table first.

Now, to convert the rows into columns, I’ll use the PIVOT method like this.

SELECT Computers, Science, Programming, Business
FROM (
  SELECT Price, Category FROM dbo.Books
) Books
PIVOT ( 
    MAX(Price) FOR Category IN (Computers, Science, Programming, Business)
) Result;

Output

We have the result and the data and we know the columns structure. So, lets create our table based on the result.

CREATE TABLE tempT1
	(Computers VARCHAR(10), Science VARCHAR(10), 
		Programming VARCHAR (10), Business VARCHAR (10))

Query the table, although its empty.

SELECT *FROM tempT1

Finally, here’s the query to save the data (the PIVOT result) in the temporary (or any) table.

INSERT INTO tempT1
SELECT Computers, Science, Programming, Business
FROM (
  SELECT Price, Category FROM dbo.Books
) Books
PIVOT ( 
    MAX(Price) FOR Category IN (Computers, Science, Programming, Business)
) Result;

Again, query the table to see the data.

SELECT *FROM tempT1

You can use the saved data for any future reference. Simply, repeat the INSERT query to store (save) new data in the temporary table. For example, lets now save the SUM of the prices in each category.

INSERT INTO tempT1
SELECT Computers, Science, Programming, Business
FROM (
  SELECT Price, Category FROM dbo.Books
) Books
PIVOT ( 
    SUM(Price) FOR Category IN (Computers, Science, Programming, Business)
) Result;

SELECT *FROM tempT1

Note: You can do the entire process, which I have explained above, using a Stored Procedure.

Thanks for reading. ☺

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