sql server - Getting "Subquery returned more than 1 value" error running update query -

please gentle, trying update query in sql server facing error. here 2 tables in same database , query furnished below , requirement update column groupcode in table2 based on table 1 facing following error:

error

msg 512, level 16, state 1, line 1 subquery returned more 1 value. not permitted when subquery follows =, !=, <, <= , >, >= or when subquery used expression. statement has been terminated.

table 1

**dept**    **deptcode**    **groupname**   **groupcode**      32      login-els       1      32      qc-els          4 ct      20      login-oup       1 ct      20      xml-oup         2 ct      20      qc-oup          4 mech    34      login-cen       1 mech    34      xml-cen         2 mech    34      pagination-cen  3 mech    34      qc-cen          4 

table2

**activity**    **deptcode**    **group** login-els       32      null qc-els          32      null login-oup       20      null xml-oup         20      null qc-oup          20      null login-cen       34      null xml-cen         34      null pagination-cen  34      null qc-cen          34      null 

sql

update db1..activity set  groupcode = (                 select groupcode                  db1..groups                  deptcode=32                      , groupname = (                                      select activity                                       db1..activity                                       deptcode=32                                     )              ) 

the error message indicates 1 or both of subquery returned more 1 row. that's not allowed you're using subqueries operand of =. 1 possible way fix error adding top 1 each of subquery.

another possible way accomplish kind of update task using update ... ... join syntax :

update activity set groupcode = g.groupcode activity     inner join groups g          on a.activity = g.groupname            , a.deptcode = g.deptcode a.deptcode = 32