What's the error in this code?

Question

I keep getting an error message at "line 1 column 97" which is the letter "i" in the second "if."
begin if :P23_START_DATE is null or :P23_START_DATE = ' ' then :P23_START_DATE:= '01-JAN-2001';
if :P23_END_DATE = is null or :P23_END_DATE = ' ' then
:P23_END_DATE = '31-DEC-2099';
select 'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777',
user_name, count(ID) total
FROM eba_ver2_cust_activity
where ACTIVITY_DATE <= to_char(to_date(:P23_END_DATE,'dd-mon-yyyy'),'dd-mon-yyyy')
and ACTIVITY_DATE >= to_char(to_date(:P23_START_DATE,'dd-mon-yyyy'),'dd-mon-yyyy')
group by
user_name,
'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777'
end;
Honestly, I don't see where the problem is. Help me please.
Steve "the n00b" in Raleigh NC

Answer 1

ackness wrote:
You could forgo the IF statements altogether by doing using NVL and TRIM this:
begin
select
'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777',
user_name, count(ID) total
FROM eba_ver2_cust_activity
where ACTIVITY_DATE BETWEEN NVL(TRIM(:P23_START_DATE), '01-JAN-2001') AND NVL(TRIM(:P23_END_DATE), '31-DEC-2099');
group by
user_name,
'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777';
end;
also you can simplify the GROUP BY by
begin
select
MAXX('http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777') URL,
user_name, count(ID) total
FROM eba_ver2_cust_activity
where ACTIVITY_DATE BETWEEN NVL(TRIM((:P23_START_DATE), '01-JAN-2001') AND NVL(TRIM((:P23_END_DATE), '31-DEC-2099');
group by
user_name;
end;Ackness, I tried your first suggestion, and got this when I applied the changes.
1 error has occurred
Failed to parse SQL query:
BEGIN SELECT 'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777', user_name, count(ID) total FROM eba_ver2_cust_activity where ACTIVITY_DATE BETWEEN NVL(TRIM(:P23_START_DATE), '01-JAN-2001') AND NVL(TRIM(:P23_END_DATE), '31-DEC-2099'); group by user_name, 'http://apexdevapp1.ci.raleigh.nc.us:7777'; end
ORA-06550: line 5, column 115: PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "" when expecting one of the following: begin case declare end exception exit for goto if loop mod null pragma raise return select update while with << close current delete fetch lock insert open rollback savepoint set sql execute commit forall merge pipe
Certain queries can only be executed when running your application, if your query appears syntactically correct, you can save your query without validation (see options below query source).
I can't for the life of me figure out where the invalid character is after "begin." All I can see is a blank character. Thanks for your help.
Steve "the n00b"