Use parameter for db name in Spark SQL notebook

Question

In a pipeline have an execute notebook action. In the pipeline action I hand over a base parameter of type String to the notebook. When I debug I see that a cell with the following code is injected to hand over the parameter.

-- This cell is generated from runtime parameters. Learn more: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2161015
SET db_name = 'my_db_name' ;

Later in the notebook I want to use the parameter to define the database where the action should be performed.

create table ${db_name}.mytable ...;

select * from ${db_name}.mytable;

When I run this, I get the following error message. For example the select statement:

select * from ${db_name}.mytable;

Error: 
mismatched input ''my_db_name'' expecting {

Answer 1

Hello @Gerald Reif ,

(UPDATE: 21/4/2022): As per the repro, when I tried the same using Apache Spark SQL, got the same error message. I'm working with the internal team to identify how to pass the base parameters in Apache Spark SQL notebooks. Meanwhile, you can use the below workaround.

Workaround: I had tried to use parameter for db_name using Apache Pyspark and worked as excepted:

Notebook:

Pipeline Activity with base parameter:

** Pipeline worked as excepted:**

------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the question and using MS Q&A platform.

Error: When I tried to use parameter for db name as SET db_name = 'default';, with single quotes it throws the same error as shown above.

**Success: ** When I tried to use parameter for db name as SET db_name = default; without single quotes it works as excepted.

Hope this will help. Please let us know if any further queries.

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