Displaying Columns as Rows in SQL Server 2005

pivot, sql, sql-server-2005, t-sql

Solution

In order to get the result that you want you need to first `UNPIVOT` the data and then `PIVOT the`DatePeriod` Values.

The UNPIVOT will transform the multiple columns of `Transactions`, `Customers` and `Visits` into multiple rows. The other answers are using a `UNION ALL` to unpivot but SQL Server 2005 was the first year the `UNPIVOT` function was supported.

The query to unpivot the data is:

select dateperiod,
  col, value
from transactions
unpivot
(
  value for col in (Transactions, Customers, Visits)
) u

See Demo. This transforms your current columns into multiple rows, so the data looks like the following:

| DATEPERIOD |          COL | VALUE |
-------------------------------------
|   Jan 2012 | Transactions |   100 |
|   Jan 2012 |    Customers |    50 |
|   Jan 2012 |       Visits |   150 |
|   Feb 2012 | Transactions |   200 |

Now, since the data is in rows, you can apply the `PIVOT` function to the `DatePeriod` column:

select col, [Jan 2012], [Feb 2012], [Mar 2012]
from
(
  select dateperiod,
    t.col, value, c.SortOrder
  from
  (
    select dateperiod,
      col, value
    from transactions
    unpivot
    (
      value for col in (Transactions, Customers, Visits)
    ) u
  ) t
  inner join
  (
    select 'Transactions' col, 1 SortOrder
    union all
    select 'Customers' col, 2 SortOrder
    union all
    select 'Visits' col, 3 SortOrder
   ) c
    on t.col = c.col
) d
pivot
(
  sum(value)
  for dateperiod in ([Jan 2012], [Feb 2012], [Mar 2012])
) piv
order by SortOrder;

See SQL Fiddle with Demo.

If you have an unknown number of date period's then you will use dynamic SQL:

DECLARE @cols AS NVARCHAR(MAX),
    @query  AS NVARCHAR(MAX)

select @cols = STUFF((SELECT ',' + QUOTENAME(dateperiod) 
                    from transactions
                    group by dateperiod, PeriodNumberOverall
                    order by PeriodNumberOverall
            FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE
            ).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)') 
        ,1,1,'')

set @query = 'SELECT col, ' + @cols + ' 
             from 
             (
                select dateperiod,
                  t.col, value, c.SortOrder
                from
                (
                  select dateperiod,
                    col, value
                  from transactions
                  unpivot
                  (
                    value for col in (Transactions, Customers, Visits)
                  ) u
                ) t
                inner join
                (
                  select ''Transactions'' col, 1 SortOrder
                  union all
                  select ''Customers'' col, 2 SortOrder
                  union all
                  select ''Visits'' col, 3 SortOrder
                 ) c
                  on t.col = c.col
            ) x
            pivot 
            (
                sum(value)
                for dateperiod in (' + @cols + ')
            ) p 
            order by SortOrder'

execute(@query)

See SQL Fiddle with Demo. Both will give the result:

|          COL | JAN 2012 | FEB 2012 | MAR 2012 |
-------------------------------------------------
| Transactions |      100 |      200 |      300 |
|    Customers |       50 |      100 |      200 |
|       Visits |      150 |      300 |      600 |

Problem

I have read dozens of solutions to similar transposition problems as the one I am about to propose but oddly none that exactly mirrors my issue. I am simply trying to flip my rows to columns in a simple dashboard type data set. The data when pulled from various transaction tables looks like this: ``` DatePeriod PeriodNumberOverall Transactions Customers Visits 'Jan 2012' 1 100 50 150 'Feb 2012' 2 200 100 300 'Mar 2012' 3 300 200 600 ``` and I want to be able to generate the following: ``` Jan 2012 Feb 2012 Mar 2012 Transactions 100 200 300 Customers 50 100 200 Visits 150 300 600 ``` The metrics will be static (Transactions, Customers and Visits), but the date periods will be dynamic (IE - more added as months go by). Again, I have ready many examples leveraging pivot, unpivot, store procedures, UNION ALLs, etc, but nothing where I am not doing any aggregating, just literally transposing the whole output. I have also found an easy way to do this in Visual Studio 2005 using a matrix with an embedded list, but I can't export the final output to excel which is a requirement. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Original source

Related problems