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Error "Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'DECLARE'" When Using DECLARE in Custom SQL

Publish Date: Feb 24, 2026
Description

When using a DECLARE statement to declare a variable in Custom SQL with a SQL Server data source, the following error occurs:
 

[Microsoft][ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server][SQL Server]Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'DECLARE'.
[Microsoft][ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server][SQL Server]Incorrect syntax near ')'.

 

Cause

Tableau Desktop wraps Custom SQL queries in a SELECT statement before sending them to the database.

 

Resolution

Run the DECLARE statement in an initial SQL command.

Additional Resources

You can find an example of using initial SQL to run a DECLARE statement in the following blog post: Actually you can use variables, CTEs and other fancy SQL with Tableau after all.

Note: The above blog post is hosted on a third-party website. Please note that while we make every effort to keep references to third-party content accurate and up to date, the information we provide here might change without notice.

 

Knowledge Article Number

001471583

 
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