SQL: capitalize first letter only [duplicate]

Answer 1

Are you asking for renaming column itself or capitalise the data inside column? If its data you've to change, then use this:

UPDATE [yourtable]
SET word=UPPER(LEFT(word,1))+LOWER(SUBSTRING(word,2,LEN(word)))

If you just wanted to change it only for displaying and do not need the actual data in table to change:

SELECT UPPER(LEFT(word,1))+LOWER(SUBSTRING(word,2,LEN(word))) FROM [yourtable]

Hope this helps.

EDIT: I realised about the '-' so here is my attempt to solve this problem in a function.

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[CapitalizeFirstLetter]
(
--string need to format
@string VARCHAR(200)--increase the variable size depending on your needs.
)
RETURNS VARCHAR(200)
AS

BEGIN
--Declare Variables
DECLARE @Index INT,
@ResultString VARCHAR(200)--result string size should equal to the @string variable size
--Initialize the variables
SET @Index = 1
SET @ResultString = ''
--Run the Loop until END of the string

WHILE (@Index <LEN(@string)+1)
BEGIN
IF (@Index = 1)--first letter of the string
BEGIN
--make the first letter capital
SET @ResultString =
@ResultString + UPPER(SUBSTRING(@string, @Index, 1))
SET @Index = @Index+ 1--increase the index
END

-- IF the previous character is space or '-' or next character is '-'

ELSE IF ((SUBSTRING(@string, @Index-1, 1) =' 'or SUBSTRING(@string, @Index-1, 1) ='-' or SUBSTRING(@string, @Index+1, 1) ='-') and @Index+1 <> LEN(@string))
BEGIN
--make the letter capital
SET
@ResultString = @ResultString + UPPER(SUBSTRING(@string,@Index, 1))
SET
@Index = @Index +1--increase the index
END
ELSE-- all others
BEGIN
-- make the letter simple
SET
@ResultString = @ResultString + LOWER(SUBSTRING(@string,@Index, 1))
SET
@Index = @Index +1--incerase the index
END
END--END of the loop

IF (@@ERROR
<> 0)-- any error occur return the sEND string
BEGIN
SET
@ResultString = @string
END
-- IF no error found return the new string
RETURN @ResultString
END

So then the code would be:

UPDATE [yourtable]
SET word=dbo.CapitalizeFirstLetter([STRING TO GO HERE])

Answer 2

select replace(wm_concat(new),',','-') exp_res from (select distinct initcap(substr(name,decode(level,1,1,instr(name,'-',1,level-1)+1),decode(level,(length(name)-length(replace(name,'-','')))+1,9999,instr(name,'-',1,level)-1-decode(level,1,0,instr(name,'-',1,level-1))))) new from table;
connect by level<= (select (length(name)-length(replace(name,'-','')))+1 from table));

Answer 3

Please check the query without using a function:

declare @T table(Insurance varchar(max))

insert into @T values ('wezembeek-oppem')
insert into @T values ('roeselare')
insert into @T values ('BRUGGE')
insert into @T values ('louvain-la-neuve')

select (
       select upper(T.N.value('.', 'char(1)'))+
                lower(stuff(T.N.value('.', 'varchar(max)'), 1, 1, ''))+(CASE WHEN RIGHT(T.N.value('.', 'varchar(max)'), 1)='-' THEN '' ELSE ' ' END)
       from X.InsXML.nodes('/N') as T(N)
       for xml path(''), type
       ).value('.', 'varchar(max)') as Insurance
from 
  (
  select cast('<N>'+replace(
            replace(
                Insurance, 
                ' ', '</N><N>'),
            '-', '-</N><N>')+'</N>' as xml) as InsXML
  from @T
  ) as X

Answer 4

Create the below function

Alter FUNCTION InitialCap(@String VARCHAR(8000))
                  RETURNS VARCHAR(8000)
                 AS
 BEGIN 

                   DECLARE @Position INT;

SELECT @String   = STUFF(LOWER(@String),1,1,UPPER(LEFT(@String,1))) COLLATE Latin1_General_Bin,
                    @Position = PATINDEX('%[^A-Za-z''][a-z]%',@String COLLATE Latin1_General_Bin);

                    WHILE @Position > 0
                    SELECT @String   = STUFF(@String,@Position,2,UPPER(SUBSTRING(@String,@Position,2))) COLLATE Latin1_General_Bin,
                    @Position = PATINDEX('%[^A-Za-z''][a-z]%',@String COLLATE Latin1_General_Bin);

                     RETURN @String;
  END ;

Then call it like

select dbo.InitialCap(columnname) from yourtable