How to create a view to existing script. CREATE VIEW must be the first statement in a query batch

Question

Hello Community,

I have created a script which creates multiple views based on certain criteria. However, I would like to modify the script such that a new view is created after the scripted has completed with the following code

CREATE VIEW viewplease

  AS 

SELECT 
  airport
FROM dbo.account

However, when I add the query to create a view at the end of the script I get back the error:

'CREATE VIEW' must be the first statement in a query batch

Answer 1

Please add a GO statement prior to the CREATE VIEW. Please read a detailed explanation of the cause and the solution here.

Answer 2

Hi @Carlton Patterson

CREATE VIEW must be the first statement in a query batch

Basically, it's not so much that it must be the first statement in the batch, but rather that it must be the only statement in the batch. For the same reason CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE FUNCTION, etc. all have to be in their own batch ... they need to be compiled independently of other code.

One reason is to ensure that anything in the batch created before the object actually exists when it is created, and anything that refers to the object afterward has something to point to. Another is to help prevent want "some other code here" to be included in the definition of the view/stored procedure/function.

In Management Studio, you work around this by placing a GO before and after your CREATE VIEW code. Note that GO is not T-SQL, it is an app-specific batch separator; from other interfaces, you will need to transmit your batches separately in other ways.

Again, the answer is in the first sentence: a script to create or alter any module in SQL Server - including views, procedures, functions, and triggers - must be the only statement in the batch.

Refer to Aaron's answer in this thread: Why CREATE VIEW must be first statement in a batch?

Best regards,

Cosmog Hong

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