SQL Server Date Range Selection on Execution - sql-server-2008

Question

I am running the below query in SQL Server 2008 which is returning data items post 01/01/2014.
How do I change the query to prompt for a date range on execution so I can return data between specific dates? I eventually want to create this as a view on the database and run the query through MS Excel.
SELECT J_CODATE as Typed_Date,
J_CRDATE as Created_Date,
J_AUTHOR as Author_Id,
CAST(A_FNAME + ' ' + A_SURNAME AS NVARCHAR) AS Author_Name,
J_JNUMBER as Job_Number,
J_SRSTATUS as SR_Status,
J_LENGTH as Job_Length,
J_TRANTIME as Typing_Time,
J_TRANS as Typist_id,
CAST(T_FNAME + ' ' + T_SURNAME AS NVARCHAR) AS Typist_Name,
CAST(J_TRANTIME AS FLOAT) / CAST(Job.J_LENGTH AS FLOAT) AS Productivity_Factor
FROM author, job, trans
WHERE J_CODATE >= '2014-01-01 00:00:00'
and J_LENGTH > 0 and J_TRANTIME > 1 and J_SRSTATUS > 0
and (Cast(J_LENGTH as Float) / Cast(J_TRANTIME as Float)) < 2
and (Cast(J_TRANTIME as Float) / Cast(J_LENGTH as Float)) < 20
and Job.J_TRANS = Trans.T_ID
and Job.J_AUTHOR = author.A_ID
ORDER BY J_CODATE desc
Thanks

Answer 1

So your goal is to access database data through Excel, and to have Excel prompt you for the parameters?
There is no way to build into a query the ability to prompt you for parameters. Where would the prompt appear - on the screen of the server? What would happen if the program doing the querying was a Windows service or some other process that doesn't have a UI?
You can do it in MS Access, because Access is both a database and a UI for manipulating that database. But even in Access, if an application other than the Access executable is attempting to use the database, you will not be prompted within that program for parameters: you'll just get an exception if the parameters are not provided when the program attempts to execute the query.
So this is at least half an Excel question. I'm not sure whether Excel's data tools include the ability to prompt you for parameters, although I expect it can. But you'll have to do research on that.
To address the SQL Server part of your question: probably the simplest way to parameterize your query would be to create a stored procedure, which Excel will execute for you through its data tools. It would look like this:
CREATE PROCEDURE dbo.TestProcedure
(
#StartDate datetime,
#EndDate datetime
)
AS
SELECT J_CODATE as Typed_Date,
J_CRDATE as Created_Date,
J_AUTHOR as Author_Id,
CAST(A_FNAME + ' ' + A_SURNAME AS NVARCHAR) AS Author_Name,
J_JNUMBER as Job_Number,
J_SRSTATUS as SR_Status,
J_LENGTH as Job_Length,
J_TRANTIME as Typing_Time,
J_TRANS as Typist_id,
CAST(T_FNAME + ' ' + T_SURNAME AS NVARCHAR) AS Typist_Name,
CAST(J_TRANTIME AS FLOAT) / CAST(Job.J_LENGTH AS FLOAT) AS Productivity_Factor
FROM author, job, trans
WHERE J_CODATE BETWEEN #StartDate and #EndDate
and J_LENGTH > 0 and J_TRANTIME > 1 and J_SRSTATUS > 0
and (Cast(J_LENGTH as Float) / Cast(J_TRANTIME as Float)) < 2
and (Cast(J_TRANTIME as Float) / Cast(J_LENGTH as Float)) < 20
and Job.J_TRANS = Trans.T_ID
and Job.J_AUTHOR = author.A_ID
ORDER BY J_CODATE desc
If that looks a lot like your query, it's because it is: aside from wrapping it in a stored procedure, I turned the date literal you used into the parameters #StartDate and #EndDate, since you said you wanted a date range.