How to split a comma-separated value to columns

Question

I have a table like this

Value   String
-------------------
1       Cleo, Smith

I want to separate the comma delimited string into two colu

Answer 1

question is simple, but problem is hot :)

So I create some wrapper for string_split() which pivot result in more generic way. It's table function which returns values (nn, value1, value2, ... , value50) - enough for most CSV lines. If there are more values, they will wrap to next line - nn indicate line number. Set third parameter @columnCnt = [yourNumber] to wrap at specific position:

alter FUNCTION fn_Split50
(   
    @str varchar(max),
    @delim char(1), 
    @columnCnt int = 50
)
RETURNS TABLE 
AS
RETURN 
(
    SELECT * 
    FROM (SELECT 
            nn = (nn - 1) / @columnCnt + 1, 
            nnn = 'value' + cast(((nn - 1) % @columnCnt) + 1 as varchar(10)), 
            value
        FROM (SELECT 
            nn = ROW_NUMBER() over (order by (select null)),
            value
            FROM string_split(@str, @delim) aa
            ) aa
        where nn > 0
    ) bb
    PIVOT  
    (  
    max(value) 
    FOR nnn IN (    
        value1, value2, value3, value4, value5, value6, value7, value8, value9, value10,
        value11, value12, value13, value14, value15, value16, value17, value18, value19, value20,
        value21, value22, value23, value24, value25, value26, value27, value28, value29, value30,
        value31, value32, value33, value34, value35, value36, value37, value38, value39, value40,
        value41, value42, value43, value44, value45, value46, value47, value48, value49, value50        
     )  
    ) AS PivotTable 
)

Example of using:

select * from dbo.fn_split50('zz1,aa2,ss3,dd4,ff5', ',', DEFAULT)

select * from dbo.fn_split50('zz1,aa2,ss3,dd4,ff5,gg6,hh7,jj8,ww9,qq10', ',', 3)

select * from dbo.fn_split50('zz1,11,aa2,22,ss3,33,dd4,44,ff5,55,gg6,66,hh7,77,jj8,88,ww9,99,qq10,1010', ',',2)

Hope, it will helps :)

Answer 2

Try this (change instances of ' ' to ',' or whatever delimiter you want to use)

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.Wordparser
(
  @multiwordstring VARCHAR(255),
  @wordnumber      NUMERIC
)
returns VARCHAR(255)
AS
  BEGIN
      DECLARE @remainingstring VARCHAR(255)
      SET @remainingstring=@multiwordstring

      DECLARE @numberofwords NUMERIC
      SET @numberofwords=(LEN(@remainingstring) - LEN(REPLACE(@remainingstring, ' ', '')) + 1)

      DECLARE @word VARCHAR(50)
      DECLARE @parsedwords TABLE
      (
         line NUMERIC IDENTITY(1, 1),
         word VARCHAR(255)
      )

      WHILE @numberofwords > 1
        BEGIN
            SET @word=LEFT(@remainingstring, CHARINDEX(' ', @remainingstring) - 1)

            INSERT INTO @parsedwords(word)
            SELECT @word

            SET @remainingstring= REPLACE(@remainingstring, Concat(@word, ' '), '')
            SET @numberofwords=(LEN(@remainingstring) - LEN(REPLACE(@remainingstring, ' ', '')) + 1)

            IF @numberofwords = 1
              BREAK

            ELSE
              CONTINUE
        END

      IF @numberofwords = 1
        SELECT @word = @remainingstring
      INSERT INTO @parsedwords(word)
      SELECT @word

      RETURN
        (SELECT word
         FROM   @parsedwords
         WHERE  line = @wordnumber)

  END

Example usage:

SELECT dbo.Wordparser(COLUMN, 1),
       dbo.Wordparser(COLUMN, 2),
       dbo.Wordparser(COLUMN, 3)
FROM   TABLE

Answer 3

This function is most fast:

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.F_ExtractSubString
(
  @String VARCHAR(MAX),
  @NroSubString INT,
  @Separator VARCHAR(5)
)
RETURNS VARCHAR(MAX) AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @St INT = 0, @End INT = 0, @Ret VARCHAR(MAX)
    SET @String = @String + @Separator
    WHILE CHARINDEX(@Separator, @String, @End + 1) > 0 AND @NroSubString > 0
    BEGIN
        SET @St = @End + 1
        SET @End = CHARINDEX(@Separator, @String, @End + 1)
        SET @NroSubString = @NroSubString - 1
    END
    IF @NroSubString > 0
        SET @Ret = ''
    ELSE
        SET @Ret = SUBSTRING(@String, @St, @End - @St)
    RETURN @Ret
END
GO

Example usage:

SELECT dbo.F_ExtractSubString(COLUMN, 1, ', '),
       dbo.F_ExtractSubString(COLUMN, 2, ', '),
       dbo.F_ExtractSubString(COLUMN, 3, ', ')
FROM   TABLE

Answer 4

it is so easy, you can take it by below query:

DECLARE @str NVARCHAR(MAX)='ControlID_05436b78-04ba-9667-fa01-9ff8c1b7c235,3'
SELECT LEFT(@str, CHARINDEX(',',@str)-1),RIGHT(@str,LEN(@str)-(CHARINDEX(',',@str)))

Answer 5

Your purpose can be solved using following query -

Select Value  , Substring(FullName, 1,Charindex(',', FullName)-1) as Name,
Substring(FullName, Charindex(',', FullName)+1, LEN(FullName)) as  Surname
from Table1

There is no readymade Split function in sql server, so we need to create user defined function.

CREATE FUNCTION Split (
      @InputString                  VARCHAR(8000),
      @Delimiter                    VARCHAR(50)
)

RETURNS @Items TABLE (
      Item                          VARCHAR(8000)
)

AS
BEGIN
      IF @Delimiter = ' '
      BEGIN
            SET @Delimiter = ','
            SET @InputString = REPLACE(@InputString, ' ', @Delimiter)
      END

      IF (@Delimiter IS NULL OR @Delimiter = '')
            SET @Delimiter = ','

--INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Delimiter) -- Diagnostic
--INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@InputString) -- Diagnostic

      DECLARE @Item           VARCHAR(8000)
      DECLARE @ItemList       VARCHAR(8000)
      DECLARE @DelimIndex     INT

      SET @ItemList = @InputString
      SET @DelimIndex = CHARINDEX(@Delimiter, @ItemList, 0)
      WHILE (@DelimIndex != 0)
      BEGIN
            SET @Item = SUBSTRING(@ItemList, 0, @DelimIndex)
            INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Item)

            -- Set @ItemList = @ItemList minus one less item
            SET @ItemList = SUBSTRING(@ItemList, @DelimIndex+1, LEN(@ItemList)-@DelimIndex)
            SET @DelimIndex = CHARINDEX(@Delimiter, @ItemList, 0)
      END -- End WHILE

      IF @Item IS NOT NULL -- At least one delimiter was encountered in @InputString
      BEGIN
            SET @Item = @ItemList
            INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Item)
      END

      -- No delimiters were encountered in @InputString, so just return @InputString
      ELSE INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@InputString)

      RETURN

END -- End Function
GO

---- Set Permissions
--GRANT SELECT ON Split TO UserRole1
--GRANT SELECT ON Split TO UserRole2
--GO

Answer 6

With SQL Server 2016 we can use string_split to accomplish this:

create table commasep (
 id int identity(1,1)
 ,string nvarchar(100) )

insert into commasep (string) values ('John, Adam'), ('test1,test2,test3')

select id, [value] as String from commasep 
 cross apply string_split(string,',')