CONVERTING SQL NVARCHAR(MAX) TO XML and getting a Value from XML string

Question

I am trying read from the nodes of a column -where an XML string is stored. The column is of type NVARCHAR(MAX).

The following is the script to create table - S

Answer 1

First of all why don't you save the column in XML? Another thing that you have error in the tag. I believe that it is supposed to be STAFF, not STAFFv. And the last thing is that UTF-8 is used instead of the UTF-16 for XML encoding. So the final code is:

CREATE TABLE #XML_Dummy
    (
      [ID] [INT] IDENTITY(1, 1)
                 NOT NULL ,
      [Name] [NVARCHAR](50) NULL ,
      [XMLValue] [NVARCHAR](MAX) NULL
    ); 

INSERT  INTO #XML_Dummy
        ( [Name] ,
          [XMLValue]
        )
VALUES
        ( 'abcd' ,
          '
            
                 123456
                
                J
                PEARL
                HOFFMAN
                MALE
                1992-01-01
                  SUPER SUPPORT TEAM
                  GENERAL DOGSBODY
                  2014-05-01
                  Y
                  
                  INSERT
                  2014-03-27
            '
        );

SELECT
    b.x.value('/STAFF[1]/GENDER[1]', 'varchar(100)')
FROM
    #XML_Dummy a
    CROSS APPLY (
                  SELECT
                   CAST(CAST ([XMLValue] AS VARCHAR(MAX)) AS XML) x
                ) b;
DROP TABLE #XML_Dummy;