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From: rja.carnegie@gmail.com
Newsgroups: comp.databases.ms-sqlserver
Subject: SS2005, test that object exists / OBJECT_ID() NOT NULL, reliable?
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2012 09:35:00 -0700 (PDT)
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I have had an odd error message today from 
"Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - 9.00.4035.00 (X64)"
that suggests that the following test did not work 
as intended, which was to generate and execute 
dynamic SQL code to create a table (by SELECT INTO) 
if the table does not already exist.  The table 
does exist, so I would expect OBJECT_ID(...) NOT NULL.
The "path" consists of a database name and ".[dbo].",
I'm reasonably sure.  And apparently it works /now/.

Should I be using a different "object there" test?

----

SET @tblPeriod_fq = 
        @pathTarget_q + N'[period]'

IF ( OBJECT_ID(@tblPeriod_fq) IS NULL )
BEGIN
...

----

I also don't think that the following applies in my case:
"In SQL Server 2005, a user can only view the metadata of 
securables that the user owns or on which the user has been
granted permission.  This means that metadata-emitting, 
built-in functions such as OBJECT_ID may return NULL if 
the user does not have any permission on the object."
(From Books Online.)

Thank you!