Error while extracing XML data from XML file in sql server

Question

DECLARE @TablesList TABLE 
(
    TableName VARCHAR(500),
    RefTable VARCHAR(500),
    RefTableIDColumn VARCHAR(500)
)
DECLARE @Query AS VARCHAR(MAX)


SET @Query = 'DECLARE @badIds AS VARCHAR(500) DECLARE @TableXML AS XML'
SET @Query = @Query + ' SELECT @TableXML = xCol FROM (SELECT * FROM OPENROWSET (BULK ''\\10.0.0.60\Temp\path\DataItemTables.xml'', SINGLE_CLOB)AS xCol) AS R(xCol)'
SET @Query = @Query + ' INSERT INTO @TablesList SELECT ref.value(''tablename[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS tablename,'
SET @Query = @Query + ' ref.value(''refTable[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTable, ref.value(''refTableIDColumn[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTableIDColumn FROM'
SET @Query = @Query + ' @TableXML.nodes(''//Table[@name="Description"]'') AS R(ref)'
SET @Query = @Query +'select * from @TablesList'

EXEC(@Query)

I am executing the above script. But I am getting an error as below

Msg 1087, Level 15, State 2, Line 1
Must declare the table variable "@TablesList".
Msg 1087, Level 15, State 2, Line 1
Must declare the table variable "@TablesList".

What I am doing wrong. But when I write the query in dynamic form like below , it works fine. The problem is that I want to remove all the dynamic portion of the SP .

DECLARE @Query AS VARCHAR(MAX)

SET @Query ='DECLARE @TablesList TABLE ( TableName VARCHAR(500),RefTable VARCHAR(500),RefTableIDColumn VARCHAR(500))'
SET @Query = @Query + ' DECLARE @badIds AS VARCHAR(500) DECLARE @TableXML AS XML'
SET @Query = @Query + ' SELECT @TableXML = xCol FROM (SELECT * FROM OPENROWSET (BULK ''\\10.0.0.60\Temp\Path\DataItemTables.xml'', SINGLE_CLOB)AS xCol) AS R(xCol)'
SET @Query = @Query + ' INSERT INTO @TablesList SELECT ref.value(''tablename[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS tablename,'
SET @Query = @Query + ' ref.value(''refTable[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTable, ref.value(''refTableIDColumn[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTableIDColumn FROM'
SET @Query = @Query + ' @TableXML.nodes(''//Table[@name="Description"]'') AS R(ref)'
SET @Query = @Query +'select * from @TablesList'

EXEC(@Query)

Answer 1

You can only access a table variable in the same scope where it is declared. Since your EXEC is in a different scope, the table variable is not recognized. One way to solve this is to use a temp table instead:

CREATE TABLE #TablesList
(
    TableName VARCHAR(500),
    RefTable VARCHAR(500),
    RefTableIDColumn VARCHAR(500)
)
DECLARE @Query AS VARCHAR(MAX)

SET @Query = 'DECLARE @badIds AS VARCHAR(500) DECLARE @TableXML AS XML'
SET @Query = @Query + ' SELECT @TableXML = xCol FROM (SELECT * FROM OPENROWSET (BULK ''\\10.0.0.60\Temp\path\DataItemTables.xml'', SINGLE_CLOB)AS xCol) AS R(xCol)'
SET @Query = @Query + ' INSERT INTO #TablesList SELECT ref.value(''tablename[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS tablename,'
SET @Query = @Query + ' ref.value(''refTable[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTable, ref.value(''refTableIDColumn[1]'',''nvarchar(500)'') AS refTableIDColumn FROM'
SET @Query = @Query + ' @TableXML.nodes(''//Table[@name="Description"]'') AS R(ref)'
SET @Query = @Query +'select * from #TablesList'

EXEC(@Query)