Resolving the No results Error in SQL Execution with Python

Learn how to fix the common error "ERROR: No results. Previous SQL was not a query" when using Python's pyodbc library to alter SQL tables.
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Resolving the No results Error in SQL Execution with Python: A Simple Guide

If you are using Python with the pyodbc library to interact with SQL databases, you may encounter the error message: “ERROR: No results. Previous SQL was not a query.” This problem commonly arises when executing certain SQL statements, such as ALTER TABLE, which do not produce a result set. In this guide, we will explore this issue and provide a simple solution to avoid the error in your code.

Understanding the Problem

In SQL, commands like ALTER TABLE are designed to make changes to the table structure—such as adding or removing columns—rather than querying data from the database. When you attempt to execute such a command, the expectation that it will return a result set (like a SELECT statement would) leads to confusion and the associated error message.

Example Code Producing the Error

Consider the following Python code snippet that attempts to alter a table in SQL Server:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

As you can see, the code is trying to execute an ALTER TABLE command, but a call to fetchall() is made afterward, which is unnecessary and will trigger the error.

The Solution

Step-by-Step Fix

You can resolve this error by making a simple modification to the code. Follow these steps:

Change the SQL command string format:
Update the command in variable b to be a properly formatted string. This is crucial because the SQL command must be passed as a string to the execute() method.

Change this line:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

To this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Remove the fetch call:
Since the ALTER TABLE command will not return any results, eliminate the call to fetchall() right after executing the statement.

Updated Code Example

Here is how your corrected code snippet should look:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By ensuring that your SQL commands are stored as strings and avoiding erroneous calls to methods that expect result sets, you can navigate past the "No results" error while working with SQL commands in Python. Always remember, when dealing with commands that modify table structure, simply executing the command is typically sufficient, and result fetching is unnecessary.

With this guide, you should now feel more confident in resolving similar issues in the future. For any further clarification on SQL interactions using Python, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below!