# HABTM :insert\_sql help **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 21, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/habtm-insert-sql-help/54064 "2006-02-21T22:29:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richblunt)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/habtm-insert-sql-help/54064/1 "2006-02-21T22:29:58Z")
Hi all, I’m working with a legacy sqlserver db and I’m trying to override the insert sql in as defined in the HABTM method below(becasue the join has three primary keys), but I’m getting the error: ‘undefined local variable or method `record’ for Project:Class’ has\_and\_belongs\_to\_many :people, :class =\> ‘Person’, :join\_table =\> ‘ProjectTeamRole’, :foreign\_key =\> ‘ProjectID’, :association\_foreign\_key =\> ‘PersonID’, :insert\_sql =\> “INSERT INTO ProjectTeamRole(ProjectID,PersonID,TeamRoleID) VALUES(#{id}, #{record.PersonID},1)” I can see that #id refers to the current Project object, but how do I refer to the PersonID that will be inserted if not as above?? thanks! rich ---
**Author:** ![richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richblunt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 12:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/habtm-insert-sql-help/54064/2 "2006-02-22T00:26:40Z")
Rich B. wrote: > ``` > :insert_sql => "INSERT INTO > > ``` > > ProjectTeamRole(ProjectID,PersonID,TeamRoleID) VALUES(#{id}, > #{record.PersonID},1)" > > I can see that #id refers to the current Project object, but how do I > refer to the PersonID that will be inserted if not as above?? Use single quotes, and refer to the association\_foreign\_key value as record.id: :insert\_sql =\> ‘INSERT INTO ProjectTeamRole(ProjectID,PersonID,TeamRoleID) VALUES(#{id},#{record.id},1)’ – We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore. ---
**Author:** ![richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richblunt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/habtm-insert-sql-help/54064/3 "2006-02-22T03:45:57Z")
ahhh, cool thanks. that worked. for some reason I was led to believe the association\_foreign\_key was mapped to something different because of the need to specify the foreign key (as something other than tablename\_id). On 2/21/06, Mark Reginald J. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > ``` > > :foreign_key => 'ProjectID', > > > > ``` > > :insert\_sql =\> ‘INSERT INTO ProjectTeamRole(ProjectID,PersonID,TeamRoleID) VALUES(#{id},#{record.id},1)’ > > – > We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore. > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) – [http://brantinteractive.com](http://brantinteractive.com) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid 4034 skippack pike v. 267.640.2195 f. 215.689.1454 ---
**Author:** ![richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/b5e925/32.png) [@richblunt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/richblunt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/habtm-insert-sql-help/54064/4 "2006-02-22T08:15:49Z")
Rich B. wrote: > ahhh, cool thanks. that worked. for some reason I was led to believe > the association\_foreign\_key was mapped to something different because > of the need to specify the foreign key (as something other than > tablename\_id). In the context of the join table insert, “record” is the Person record you are adding to the project.people association. The association foreign key value you want in this insert is the primary key of this record. This is always “id” in Rails, even if a different field name and set\_primary\_key have been used in the Person table and model respectively. – We develop, watch us RoR, in numbers too big to ignore.