SQL Server embedded CASE statement - sql-server

Question

How do I go about writing a query where I want to get the last value?
For example I have a table with with tasks, 1-4 for each parent workflow.
I then have a completed column with a 1 or 0.
I would like to return 1 value, Task 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 depending if the task is complete.
I tried an embedded CASE statement, but it would always returns value 4.
There has to be a better way.
SELECT
Estimate.EstimateID, Estimate.EstimateNo,
CASE
WHEN TransWorkFlow.OwnerID = Estimate.EstimateID
THEN
CASE
WHEN TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo = 1 AND TransWorkFlowDetails.Completed = 0
THEN 1
ELSE
CASE
WHEN TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo = 2 AND TransWorkFlowDetails.Completed = 0
THEN 2
ELSE
CASE
WHEN TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo = 3 AND TransWorkFlowDetails.Completed = 0
THEN 3
ELSE
CASE
WHEN TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo = 4 AND TransWorkFlowDetails.Completed = 0
THEN 4
ELSE 4
END
END
END
END
END AS TaskCompleted
FROM
TransWorkFlow
INNER JOIN
TransWorkFlowDetails ON TransWorkFlow.TransWorkFlowID = TransWorkFlowDetails.TransWorkFlowID
INNER JOIN
Estimate ON TransWorkFlow.OwnerID = Estimate.EstimateID

Answer 1

It seems like this can be simplified into one simple CASE statement
SELECT
e.EstimateID,
e.EstimateNo,
CASE WHEN td.Completed = 0 AND td.TaskNo IN (1,2,3,4) THEN td.TaskNo ELSE 4 END AS TaskCompleted
FROM TransWorkFlow t
INNER JOIN TransWorkFlowDetails td ON t.TransWorkFlowID = td.TransWorkFlowID
INNER JOIN Estimate e ON t.OwnerID = e.EstimateID;
Note:
we're using aliases like t, td and e to shorten the code
we got rid of your initial CASE check, because it's covered by the INNER JOIN
TaskNo seems to be your check condition and also output, let's can reference that in THEN part

Answer 2

Not really clear what you are trying to do here but I think that wall of case expressions could be simplified to this.
case when TransWorkFlowDetails.Completed = 0
AND TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo in (1, 2, 3, 4)
THEN TransWorkFlowDetails.TaskNo
ELSE
--whatever you want here
END