“Incorrect Syntax Near the Keyword ‘SELECT'” SQL Server Error

Learn how to fix the “Incorrect Syntax Near the Keyword ‘SELECT'” SQL Server error. Our SQL Server Support team is here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

“Incorrect Syntax Near the Keyword ‘SELECT'” SQL Error

If you have come across the following SQL syntax error, don’t worry.

Incorrect syntax near the keyword ‘SELECT’.

According to our Experts, this error commonly appears in Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL), MySQL, PostgreSQL, and other SQL-based databases. It typically indicates a structural or syntactical issue in the query.

Today, we will examine the reasons behind this issue and explore ways to resolve it.

What Causes the “Incorrect Syntax Near ‘SELECT'” Error?

The error indicates that the SQL parser encountered an unexpected issue near a `SELECT` keyword. Here are some of the most common reasons:

• Missing or misplaced parentheses in subqueries, joins, or functions.
• Improperly terminated SQL statements, such as missing or unnecessary semicolons.
• Missing aliases for subqueries.
• Incorrect use of reserved keywords or syntax elements.
• Type mismatches or invalid expressions in the query.

This issue is one of many common SQL syntax errors developers face. For example, if you’re working with MySQL and encounter something like “Incorrect syntax near ‘AUTO_INCREMENT'”, check out this guide for help with that specific case.

Solution 1: Fix Subquery Aliasing and Semicolon Placement

Let’s look at a problematic query example:

SELECT [Table1 Query].[amel_code], [Table1 Query].[kala_code], SUM([Table1 Query].[SumOfqty]) AS SumOfSumOfqty
FROM (
SELECT Table1.amel_code,
Table1.amani_code,
Table1.kala_code,
SUM(Table1.qty) AS SumOfqty
FROM Table1
GROUP BY Table1.amel_code,
Table1.amani_code,
Table1.kala_code
HAVING (((Table1.amel_code)=[?]) AND ((Table1.amani_code)<[?]))  -- ;
) [Table1 Query]  --
GROUP BY [Table1 Query].[amel_code], [Table1 Query].[kala_code];
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Here, we have to remove the semicolon after the inner `HAVING` clause. Also, give an alias to the subquery (e.g., `AS [Table1 Query]`).

Every subquery must have an alias. Without it, the outer query can’t reference columns from the subquery.

Here’s a simpler example of a correctly aliased subquery:

SELECT *
FROM (SELECT * FROM T1 WHERE ID > 50) D  -- 'D' is the alias
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Solution 2: Handling Subqueries in Variable Assignments

Another common mistake occurs when using subqueries in variable assignments without proper parentheses or context.

For example:

DECLARE @Date DATETIME2
SET @Date = SELECT TOP (@Num) YEAR(Bob) FROM Final  --  Incorrect
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This has to be corrected as seen here:

DECLARE @Date DATETIME2
SET @Date = (SELECT TOP (@Num) YEAR(Bob) FROM Final)  --  Use parentheses
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Alternatively, we can simplify it as a pure `SELECT` statement:

SELECT TOP (@Num) @Date = YEAR(Bob)
FROM Final
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Note: Using `TOP` without an `ORDER BY` can return inconsistent results. Always include `ORDER BY` when using `TOP`.

Also, keep in mind that `YEAR()` returns an `INT`, so assigning it to a `DATETIME2` variable may not make logical sense unless handled carefully. If you’ve ever encountered errors like “Error converting data type varchar to datetime”, our detailed breakdown here will help clarify things.

Tips to Avoid This Error

To avoid this and similar issues (like the well-known SQL Server 14421 error), follow these tips:

• Always close subqueries and functions with the correct parentheses.
• Use aliases for all subqueries or derived tables.
• Terminate SQL statements with semicolons, but not inside subqueries.
• Match data types when assigning values to variables.
• Avoid ambiguous references by using clear table/column aliases.
• Check for reserved keywords used as identifiers without escaping.

[Need assistance with a different issue? Our team is available 24/7.]

Conclusion

The “Incorrect syntax near the keyword ‘SELECT'” error usually boils down to syntax errors like missing parentheses, lack of subquery aliases, or incorrect use of clauses. By reviewing each query section carefully, we can quickly find the cause and fix it.

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to fix the “Incorrect Syntax Near the Keyword ‘SELECT'” SQL Server error.