Case Statements in SQL

The library supports different types of case expressions - a “simple” case expression, and a “searched” case expressions.

A simple case expression checks the values of a single column. It looks like this:

select case id
    when 1, 2, 3 then true
    else false
  end as small_id
from foo

Some databases also support simple comparisons on simple case expressions, which look lke this:

select case total_length
    when < 10 then 'small'
    when > 20 then 'large'
    else 'medium'
  end as tshirt_size
from foo

A searched case expression allows arbitrary logic, and it can check the values of multiple columns. It looks like this:

select case
    when animal_name = 'Small brown bat' or animal_name = 'Large brown bat' then 'Bat'
    when animal_name = 'Artic fox' or animal_name = 'Red fox' then 'Fox'
    else 'Other'
  end as animal_type
from foo

Bind Variables and Casting

The library will always render the “when” part of a case expression using bind variables. Rendering of the “then” and “else” parts of a case expression may or may not use bind variables depending on how you write the query. In general, the library will render “then” and “else” as constants - meaning not using bind variables. If you wish to use bind variables for these parts of a case expressions, then you can use the value function to turn a constant into a bind variable. We will show examples of the different renderings in the following sections.

If you choose to use bind variables for all “then” and “else” values, it is highly likely that the database will require you to specify an expected datatype by using a cast function.

Even for “then” and “else” sections that are rendered with constants, you may still desire to use a cast in some cases. For example, if you specify Strings for all “then” and “else” values, the database will likely return all values as datatype CHAR with the length of the longest constant string. Typically, we would prefer the use of VARCHAR, so we don't have to strip trailing blanks from the results. This is a good use for a cast with a constant. Similarly, Java float constants are often interpreted by databases as BigDecimal. You can use a cast to have them returned as floats.

Note: in the following sections we will use ? to show a bind variable, but the actual rendered SQL will be different because bind variables will be rendered appropriately for the execution engine you are using (either MyBatis or Spring).

Also note: in Java, case and else are reserved words - meaning we cannot use them as method names. For this reason, the library uses case_ and else_ respectively as method names.

Full examples for case expressions are in the test code for the library here: https://github.com/mybatis/mybatis-dynamic-sql/blob/master/src/test/java/examples/animal/data/CaseExpressionTest.java

Java DSL for Simple Case Statements with Simple Values

A simple case expression can be coded like the following in the Java DSL:

select(case_(id)
    .when(1, 2, 3).then(true)
    .else_(false)
  .end().as("small_id"))
.from(foo)

A statement written this way will render as follows:

select case id when ?, ?, ? then true else false end as small_id from foo

Note that the “then” and “else” parts are NOT rendered with bind variables. If you with to use bind variables, then you can write the query as follows:

select(case_(id)
    .when(1, 2, 3).then(value(true))
    .else_(value(false))
  .end().as("small_id"))
.from(foo)

In this case, we are using the value function to denote a bind variable. The SQL will now be rendered as follows:

select case id when ?, ?, ? then ? else ? end as small_id from foo

Important: Be aware that your database may throw an exception for SQL like this because the database cannot determine the datatype of the resulting column. If that happens, you will need to cast one or more of the variables to the expected data type. Here's an example of using the cast function:

select(case_(id)
    .when(1, 2, 3).then(value(true))
    .else_(cast(value(false)).as("BOOLEAN)"))
  .end().as("small_id"))
.from(foo)

In this case, the SQL will render as follows:

select case id when ?, ?, ? then ? else cast(? as BOOLEAN) end as small_id from foo

In our testing, casting a single bound value is enough to inform the database of your expected datatype, but you should perform your own testing.

Java DSL for Simple Case Statements with Conditions

A simple case expression can be coded like the following in the Java DSL:

select(case_(total_length)
    .when(isLessThan(10)).then_("small")
    .when(isGreaterThan(20)).then_("large")
    .else_("medium")
  .end().as("tshirt_size"))
.from(foo)

A statement written this way will render as follows:

select case total_length when <  ? then 'small' when > ? then 'large' else 'medium' end as tshirt_size from foo

Note that the “then” and “else” parts are NOT rendered with bind variables. If you with to use bind variables, then you can use the value function as shown above.

A query like this could be a good place to use casting with constants. Most databases will return the calculated “tshirt_size” column as CHAR(6) - so the “small” and “large” values will have a trailing blank. If you wish to use VARCHAR, you can use the cast function as follows:

select(case_(total_length)
    .when(isLessThan(10)).then_("small")
    .when(isGreaterThan(20)).then_("large")
    .else_(cast("medium").as("VARCHAR(6)"))
  .end().as("tshirt_size"))
.from(foo)

In this case, we are using the cast function to specify the datatype of a constant. The SQL will now be rendered as follows (without the line breaks):

select case total_length
    when <  ? then 'small' when > ? then 'large'
    else cast('medium' as VARCHAR(6)) end as tshirt_size from foo

Java DSL for Searched Case Statements

A searched case statement is written as follows:

select(case_()
    .when(animalName, isEqualTo("Small brown bat")).or(animalName, isEqualTo("Large brown bat")).then("Bat")
    .when(animalName, isEqualTo("Artic fox")).or(animalName, isEqualTo("Red fox")).then("Fox")
    .else_("Other")
  .end().as("animal_type"))
.from(foo)

The full syntax of “where” and “having” clauses is supported in the “when” clause - but that may or may not be supported by your database. Testing is crucial. The library supports optional conditions in “when” clauses, but at least one condition must render, else the library will throw an InvalidSqlException.

The rendered SQL will be as follows (without the line breaks):

select case
    when animal_name = ? or animal_name = ? then 'Bat'
    when animal_name = ? or animal_name = ? then 'Fox'
    else 'Other'
  end as animal_type
from foo

The use of the value function to support bind variables, and the use of casting, is the same is shown above.