SQL Server 2016, Invalid object name 'STRING_SPLIT'

Question

In SQL Server 2016 I receive this error with STRING_SPLIT function

SELECT * FROM STRING_SPLIT(\'a,b,c\',\',\')

Error:

<

Answer 1

Make sure that the database compatibility level is 130

you can use the following query to change it:

ALTER DATABASE [DatabaseName] SET COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL = 130

Answer 2

If you can't change the COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL of the database you are working in, you can try looking at other databases on the same server to find one with a higher COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL. I found that the "master" database on my target server was at COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL = 140, so I connected to that database, and then executed my query, which actually ran against (fully qualified) tables in other databases on the server whose COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL was less than 130. It worked! Just query the various databases on your server with

SELECT compatibility_level  FROM sys.databases WHERE name = '<database_name>'; 

to find one that is >= 130.

Answer 3

I was using Split_string, which felt grammatically correct in English, but my old eyes didn't see that it should be STRING_SPLIT ... so, if you're a bit mentally challenged like me, then check you've typed the command the right way! :)