Ok, here's what I'm trying (I start with the simplest and add), the simplest

Declare @TB int
Select @TB = TypeB from ExpFrameWork where Category = '40'
print @TB    && prints 5 - like I'd expect it to.

Select top @TB from ExpMaster where Category = '40' and Difflet = 'B'    
*The above has the red line under it and says Incorrect syntax near @TB.  Expecting REAL, INTEGER, NUMERIC or '('

If I replace @TB with (@TB) it gives me 'Incorrect syntax near from'
Perhaps 'expression' isn't meaning what I think it means?


>You can use expression in top clause
>

>SELECT TOP (expression) ...
>

>
>>Before I make myself completely insane trying to do it, say I have a TestFrameWork table that looks like
>>

>>Cat     TypeB      TypeC     TypeD     TypeE
>>----------------------------------------------------------------
>>40          5              3             6            4
>>41
>>.
>>.
>>.
>>

>>
>>Where the numbers 5,3, etc are the number of records I need of each Cat and Type and will change periodically but I can't predict what they will be; the 'B','C','D','E' are the difficulty letters (DiffLet). But I need to be able to pull x number of records based on Cat and DiffLet
>>
>>I know we can say
>>

>>Select top 5 from (filename) where Cat = '40' and DiffLet = 'B'
>>Union
>>(Select top 3 from (filename) where Cat = '40' and DiffLet = 'C'
>>Union
>>...
>>
>>

>>
>>but is it possible to say
>>

>>Select top TestFrameWork.TypeB from (filename) where Cat = '40' and DiffLet = 'B'
>>

>>?