Grouping columns

Hi,

I was trying to retrieve some data in such a way that it 2 columns will
be merged into one, with a column in between.  I am trying to do
something like this:

SELECT     LastName + ", " + FirstName AS Name
FROM         EmployeeTBL
ORDER BY LastName

But SQL Server does not like this syntax (though it does work with
"LastName + FirstName").

I appreciate any help.

Thanks,
Aaron

SQL Server uses single quotes for strings, not double quotes. Also...
you probably want to order by the first name if the last name is the
same, correct? Try:

SELECT LastName + ', ' + FirstName AS Name
FROM EmployeeTBL
ORDER BY LastName, FirstName

If it is possible for there to be NULL values or empty strings in
either of the columns then you will need to account for that as well.

HTH,
-Tom.

SELECT     LastName + ", " + FirstName AS Name
FROM         EmployeeTBL
ORDER BY Name

This should work.

Use single qutes instead of double:

SELECT     LastName + ', ' + FirstName AS Name
FROM         EmployeeTBL
ORDER BY LastName

Hmm, I didn't notice the double quotes ealier.

SELECT     LastName + ', ' + FirstName AS Name
FROM         EmployeeTBL
ORDER BY Name

You can always use the final column name in the ORDER BY condition.