Dynamic Pivot with Select Into

Question

I have this Dynamic Pivot which works fine.
DECLARE @query VARCHAR(4000)
DECLARE @years VARCHAR(2000)
SELECT @years = STUFF(( SELECT DISTINCT'],[' + [factor_label]
FROM [TEMP_lacp_factors]
ORDER BY '],[' + [factor_label]
FOR XML PATH('')
), 1, 2, '') + ']'
SET @query =
'SELECT * FROM
SELECT [date_],[issue_id],[cusip],[Factor_value],[factor_label]
FROM [TEMP_lacp_factors]
)t
PIVOT (MAX([factor_value]) FOR [factor_label]
IN ('+@years+')) AS pvt'
EXECUTE (@query)
I'm trying to take the results of that and do a SELECT INTO, so I can move the results to another table.  Is this possible?  I didn't find a whole lot online.
The error that I'm getting is this.
Caused by: Column name or number of supplied values does not match table definition.
How can I do this?  Is it even possible?
Knowledge is the only thing that I can give you, and still retain, and we are both better off for it.

Answer 1

Sure, you can create a table with SELECT INTO, but it cannot be a #temptable. Well, it can be a #temptable, but it will disappear as soon as you exit the scope it was created it, that is the dynamic SQL.
The question is only, what would you do with this table later? Since you don't know the column names, about all work will have to be done through dynamic SQL.
A dynamic pivot is a non-relational operation. A SELECT statement produces a table, and a table describes a distinct entity, of which the column are distinct and well-defined attributes. Something which your dynamic pivot does not adhere to.
There is only one thing you can do with your dynamic pivot: returning the data to the client. I don't know what you want to do with that table, but probably you should do that manipulation before the dynamic pivot, because as I said: that is always your
last step.
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, [email protected]