MySQL - Operand should contain 1 column(s) - mysql

Question

While working on a system I'm creating, I attempted to use the following query in my project:
SELECT
topics.id,
topics.name,
topics.post_count,
topics.view_count,
COUNT( posts.solved_post ) AS solved_post,
(SELECT users.username AS posted_by,
users.id AS posted_by_id
FROM users
WHERE users.id = posts.posted_by)
FROM topics
LEFT OUTER JOIN posts ON posts.topic_id = topics.id
WHERE topics.cat_id = :cat
GROUP BY topics.id
":cat" is bound by my PHP code as I'm using PDO. 2 is a valid value for ":cat".
That query though gives me an error: "#1241 - Operand should contain 1 column(s)"
What stumps me is that I would think that this query would work no problem. Selecting columns, then selecting two more from another table, and continuing on from there. I just can't figure out what the problem is.
Is there a simple fix to this, or another way to write my query?

Answer 1

Your subquery is selecting two columns, while you are using it to project one column (as part of the outer SELECT clause). You can only select one column from such a query in this context.
Consider joining to the users table instead; this will give you more flexibility when selecting what columns you want from users.
SELECT
topics.id,
topics.name,
topics.post_count,
topics.view_count,
COUNT( posts.solved_post ) AS solved_post,
users.username AS posted_by,
users.id AS posted_by_id
FROM topics
LEFT OUTER JOIN posts ON posts.topic_id = topics.id
LEFT OUTER JOIN users ON users.id = posts.posted_by
WHERE topics.cat_id = :cat
GROUP BY topics.id

Answer 2

In my case, the problem was that I sorrounded my columns selection with parenthesis by mistake:
SELECT (p.column1, p.column2, p.column3) FROM table1 p WHERE p.column1 = 1;
And has to be:
SELECT p.column1, p.column2, p.column3 FROM table1 p WHERE p.column1 = 1;
Sounds silly, but it was causing this error and it took some time to figure it out.

Answer 3

This error can also occur if you accidentally use commas instead of AND in the ON clause of a JOIN:
JOIN joined_table ON (joined_table.column = table.column, joined_table.column2 = table.column2)
^
should be AND, not a comma

Answer 4

This error can also occur if you accidentally use = instead of IN in the WHERE clause:
FOR EXAMPLE:
WHERE product_id = (1,2,3);

Answer 5

COUNT( posts.solved_post ) AS solved_post,
(SELECT users.username AS posted_by,
users.id AS posted_by_id
FROM users
WHERE users.id = posts.posted_by)
Well, you can’t get multiple columns from one subquery like that. Luckily, the second column is already posts.posted_by! So:
SELECT
topics.id,
topics.name,
topics.post_count,
topics.view_count,
posts.posted_by
COUNT( posts.solved_post ) AS solved_post,
(SELECT users.username AS posted_by_username
FROM users
WHERE users.id = posts.posted_by)
...

Answer 6

I got this error while executing a MySQL script in an Intellij console, because of adding brackets in the wrong place:
WRONG:
SELECT user.id
FROM user
WHERE id IN (:ids); # Do not put brackets around list argument
RIGHT:
SELECT user.id
FROM user
WHERE id IN :ids; # No brackets is correct

Answer 7

This error can also occur if you accidentally miss if function name.
for example:
set v_filter_value = 100;
select
f_id,
f_sale_value
from
t_seller
where
f_id = 5
and (v_filter_value <> 0, f_sale_value = v_filter_value, true);
Got this problem when I missed putting if in the if function!

Answer 8

Another place this error can happen in is assigning a value that has a comma outside of a string. For example:
SET totalvalue = (IFNULL(i.subtotal,0) + IFNULL(i.tax,0),0)

Answer 9

(SELECT users.username AS posted_by,
users.id AS posted_by_id
FROM users
WHERE users.id = posts.posted_by)
Here you using sub-query but this sub-query must return only one column.
Separate it otherwise it will shows error.

Answer 10

I also have the same issue in making a company database.
this is the code
SELECT FNAME,DNO FROM EMP
WHERE SALARY IN (SELECT MAX(SALARY), DNO
FROM EMP GROUP BY DNO);