Thank you, that is very helpful.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Darin Strait [mailto:dstrait@e...]
> Sent: Friday, 25 May 2001 10:07 PM
> To: sql language
> Subject: [sql_language] Re: returning values from a generated SQL
> statement
> 
> 
> The trick is to not use EXEC, use sp_executesql:
> 
> -- Purpose: Demo of how to return a value from an 
> sp_executesql statement
> -- Author: Niklaus Joerg, from the Swynk SQL List
> 
>  declare @dbname sysname -- or provide as parameter
>  set @dbname = 'pubs'
> 
>  declare @cnt int, @sql nvarchar(400)
>  set @sql = N'select @ret = count(*) from ['+@dbname+ N'].dbo.titles'
>  exec sp_executesql @SQL, N'@R... int output', @Cnt output
>  select @Cnt
> 
> -- /*** end of file ***/
> 
> Darin Strait, MS SQL Server Development and Administration
> http://home.earthlink.net/~dstrait/professional/resume.htm
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Cameron" <dcameron@i...>
> To: "sql language" <sql_language@p...>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2001 8:07 PM
> Subject: [sql_language] returning values from a generated SQL 
> statement
> 
> 
> >
> > Hi
> >
> > I was wondering how you would go about getting a value back from a
> generated
> > Select string. What I was looking for would look something 
> like this:
> >
> > SET @Return = EXEC('SELECT MAX(Field1) FROM Table1 WHERE 
> Field2 = 3')
> >
> > This is just for personal interest.