Knowledge Base

PRB: GO as 1st Word on Line Treated as Batch Terminator

Article ID: 141666

Article Last Modified on 11/14/2003

Microsoft SQL Server 6.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Standard Edition
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q141666

SYMPTOMS

When you use ISQL/W or Query Analyzer in SQL Enterprise Manager (SEM), if the word GO appears as the first word on a new line of an SQL script it is treated as an end-of-batch signal, regardless of whether or not it is followed by non-space characters on the same line.

NOTE: On SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 1 and later, this problem does not occur if the word GO is followed by non-space characters on the same line.

WORKAROUND

Have GO as the first word on a line only if you intend it to be the batch terminator; otherwise, make sure you have one or more non-space characters before the word GO on the same line. Command-line ISQL, which treats a GO on a line all by itself as the end-of-batch signal, does not have this problem. You can change the command terminator with the /c option of ISQL.

MORE INFORMATION

Consider the INSERT statement in the following script. The string to be inserted has a GO on a new line. Running this script results in syntax errors. If you replace the word GO with another word, say COME, the string will be successfully inserted.

create table t1(x char(20))
go
insert into t1 values ('PLEASE 
GO HOME')

Similarly, the following comment will also generate syntax errors:

/*
GO TO LABEL1

*/

Additional query words: sql6 error syntax

Keywords: kbprb KB141666