Compare multiple dates

[Drummer_si]

SELECT * FROM tbl_clients
WHERE (
clientQ1 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY ) OR
clientQ2 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY ) OR
clientQ3 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY ) OR
clientQ4 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY )
)

clientQ1-4 are date fields, and this query returns all clients whose dates fall within the next 7 days!

However, I need to know which one of those dates is the date in question - Note: It can only BE one date as they are roughly 3 months apart!

Does anyone have any ideas how to do this? I've tried SELECT and IF ELSE statements with no success :(

[phranque]

do you need to know the column from which the date matched or the date from the matching column or both?

perhaps the answer is to make 4 queries.

[Drummer_si]

phranque.. Either... Preferrably both.

[LifeinAsia]

This should work:
SELECT clientQ1 AS TheDate, 'Q1' AS TheClient
FROM tbl_clients
clientQ1 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY )
UNION
SELECT clientQ2 AS TheDate, 'Q2' AS TheClient
FROM tbl_clients
clientQ2 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY )
UNION
SELECT clientQ3 AS TheDate, 'Q3' AS TheClient
FROM tbl_clients
clientQ3 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY )
UNION
SELECT clientQ4 AS TheDate, 'Q4' AS TheClient
FROM tbl_clients
clientQ4 < DATE_ADD( CURDATE(), INTERVAL 7 DAY )

"TheDate" will be the matching date and "TheClient" will be the value of the matching client (Q1, Q2, etc.).

[edited by: LifeinAsia at 4:22 pm (utc) on Dec. 23, 2008]