MySQL error - "check syntax to use near '%s" - mysql

Question

Anyone see why the query below would yield the error
"#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '%s)"?
SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS id
FROM (
SELECT taba.id
FROM (
SELECT alum.id
FROM cvm_education AS edu
JOIN cvm_alumni AS alum ON alum.id = edu.alumni_id
WHERE cvm_alumni.profile_status =1
AND highest_edu
IN (
SELECT name
FROM cvm_filter_educationlevels
JOIN cvm_educationlevel AS edulevels ON educationlevel_id = edulevels.id
WHERE filter_id = % s
)
) AS taba
Cheers!

Answer 1

you need to quote the string value and use LIKE for pattern matching
WHERE filter_id LIKE '% s'
but if you really want to find % s literally, use =
WHERE filter_id = '% s'

Answer 2

Try this:
SELECT count(taba.id)
FROM (
SELECT alum.id
FROM cvm_education AS edu
JOIN cvm_alumni AS alum ON alum.id = edu.alumni_id
WHERE alum.profile_status =1
AND highest_edu
IN (
SELECT name
FROM cvm_filter_educationlevels
JOIN cvm_educationlevel AS edulevels ON educationlevel_id = edulevels.id
WHERE filter_id = 1
)
) AS taba ;
http://www.sqlfiddle.com/#!2/f8adc/15
Two important points:
I don't understand the use of SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS() if have chanced
it in count(). I think this provides the same desired result.
You haven't provided sample data so I wasn't able to try %s. I have
substituted it with a binary (1,0). Furthermore, I don't know your
exact code so I made some assumptions based on your query.
Sample data:
CREATE TABLE cvm_education(
ID int auto_increment primary key,
alumni_id int
);
CREATE TABLE cvm_alumni(
ID int auto_increment primary key,
profile_status int,
highest_edu varchar(30)
);
CREATE TABLE cvm_filter_educationlevels (
ID int auto_increment primary key,
educationlevel_id int,
name varchar(30)
);
CREATE TABLE cvm_educationlevel(
ID int auto_increment primary key,
filter_id int
);
INSERT INTO cvm_education (alumni_id)
VALUES (10), (1), (2), (3),(5), (6),(7),(8),(9);
INSERT INTO cvm_alumni (profile_status, highest_edu)
VALUES (1, "master"),
(0,"bachelor"),
(1,"bachelor"),
(0, "master"),
(1, "master"),
(0, "master"),
(1, "master"),
(1, "master"),
(1, "master"),
(1, "master");
INSERT INTO cvm_filter_educationlevels(educationlevel_id,name)
VALUES (1, "master"), (0,"bachelor");
INSERT INTO cvm_educationlevel(filter_ID)
VALUES (1), (0), (1), (0), (0), (1),(1),(1),(1);

Answer 3

The "% s" is invalid syntax. If that's a literal, then it needs to be enclosed in quotes:
WHERE filter_id = '% s'
(But that fix doesn't appear to be right. It almost looks as if the MySQL statement is being generated with a sprintf, and there was intended to be a '%s' placeholder that was supposed to be replaced with an value.)
Also, there's a closing parenthesis and alias missing from the end of the statement:
) foo
And this:
WHERE cvm_alumni.profile_status = 1
should be changed to this:
WHERE alum.profile_status = 1
(The table is assigned an alias, the column reference should be qualified with the alias, not the table_name)
It's also a good idea to qualify the references all column references, including educationlevel_id, highest_edu and name. (That's not necessarily a problem with the statement, unless MySQL is throwing an "ambiguous column" error, but I prefer to insulate my statements from any "ambiguous column" error that will crop up when new columns are added.)
SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS id
FROM (SELECT taba.id
FROM (
SELECT alum.id
FROM cvm_education edu
JOIN cvm_alumni alum
ON alum.id = edu.alumni_id
WHERE alum.profile_status = 1
AND `highest_edu` IN
(
SELECT `name`
FROM cvm_filter_educationlevels
JOIN cvm_educationlevel edulevels
ON `educationlevel_id` = edulevels.id
WHERE `filter_id` = '% s'
)
) taba
) foo