Error Message:
Msg 305, Level 16, State 1, Line 2
The xml data type cannot be compared or sorted, except when using the IS NULL operator.
Severity level:
16.
Description:
This error message appears when you try to group by a column of the data type XML.
Consequences:
The T-SQL statement can be parsed, but causes the error at runtime.
Resolution:
Error of the Severity Level 16 are generated by the user and can be fixed by the SQL Server user. You cannot use a XML column in a GROUP BY clause.
Versions:
This error message was introduced with SQL Server 2005.
Example(s):
USE tempdb;
GO
IF OBJECT_ID(‘tempdb..#t’) > 0
DROP TABLE #t
GO
CREATE TABLE #t
(
c1 XML
);
GO
INSERT INTO #t SELECT ‘1’;
SELECT MIN(c1)
FROM dbo.#t
GROUP BY c1
Remarks:
In the above example we try to group by the c1 column. Because this is a column of the XML data type, the error is raised.