Xml Value Method Randomly Returns Null When Assigning To A Variable

I'm using SSEE 9.0.3042 and started loosing sleep over trying to figure out why the following piece of SQL



DECLARE @x xml

DECLARE @a nvarchar(400);

DECLARE @b nvarchar(400);

DECLARE @c nvarchar(400);

SET @x=N'<SuchKriterienDataSet xmlns="http://tempuri.org/SuchKriterienDataSet.xsd">

<SuchKriterien><Index>0</Index><Name>a</Name><Wert>Test1</Wert><Bedingung>0</Bedingung></SuchKriterien>

<SuchKriterien><Index>1</Index><Name>b</Name><Wert>Test2</Wert><Bedingung>0</Bedingung></SuchKriterien>

<SuchKriterien><Index>2</Index><Name>c</Name><Wert>Test3</Wert><Bedingung>0</Bedingung></SuchKriterien>

</SuchKriterienDataSet>';

WITH XMLNAMESPACES ('http://tempuri.org/SuchKriterienDataSet.xsd' AS ds)

SELECT

@a=@x.value('(/dsuchKriterienDataSet/dsuchKriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "a"])[1]','nvarchar(400)'),

@b=@x.value('(/dsuchkriterienDataSet/dsuchkriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "b"])[1]','nvarchar(400)'),

@c=@x.value('(/dsuchKriterienDataSet/dsuchKriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "c"])[1]','nvarchar(400)');

WITH XMLNAMESPACES ('http://tempuri.org/SuchKriterienDataSet.xsd' AS ds)

SELECT

@x.value('(/dsuchKriterienDataSet/dsuchKriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "a"])[1]','nvarchar(400)'),

@x.value('(/dsuchKriterienDataSet/dsuchKriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "b"])[1]','nvarchar(400)'),

@x.value('(/dsuchKriterienDataSet/dsuchKriterien/ds:Wert[../ds:Name = "c"])[1]','nvarchar(400)')

UNION ALL

SELECT @a,@b,@c



returns



Test1 Test2 Test3

Test1 NULL Test3



instead of



Test1 Test2 Test3

Test1 Test2 Test3



This is the shortest repro I could assemble. Once you increase the number of variables, a random pattern of dropped values emerges.



I could repro on fully patched Windows XP German w/ SSEE ENU and Windows Server 2003 64-bit w/ SSEE GER.



Any workaround highly appreciated.

Thx,

Henry