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Beginner Help needed Please!

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Topic

choccy81
Starting Member

1 Post

Posted - 2011-02-09 : 05:46:31

Hi there -

If anybody can help with this I'd really appreciate it.

I have got a requirement on an ongoing basis to take comma separated values all stored in one database field and return a list of all possible distinct values from any of the values in that database field.

Example:

Row 1
Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag,TrainingProvide

Row 2
Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,TestingAssess,Training packag,TrainingProvide

Row 3
Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,KnowledgeMan,No influence,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag,TrainingProvide
Computers/softw,HealthSafety,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,TestingAssess,Training packag

Row 4
Computers/softw,HRSoftware,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag

I need to output a distinct list of all values e.g.
Computers/softw
HRSoftware
Incentives/Empl
KnowledgeMan
...
..
.

I was thinking I need to use dynamic sql maybe? But I'm lost...

Any help anyone can offer?

Ta.

pk_bohra
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1182 Posts

Posted - 2011-02-09 : 06:52:40

have a look at :
http://www.sommarskog.se/arrays-in-sql-2005.html

Transact Charlie
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

3451 Posts

Posted - 2011-02-09 : 09:18:57

OK -- Interesting question.

Here's what I'd do initially. This uses a number table to split the strings (which I think is the fastest way to split them). There may be some clever optimisations you could do first.

You could replace the DISTINCT with a GROUP BY if you also wanted to know how many of each part there are.

This has a few 'deep' techniques in it so please ask questions!



-- Numbers Table
IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#numbers') IS NULL
BEGIN
	CREATE TABLE #numbers ([n] INT PRIMARY KEY)

	-- Populate Number Table
	; WITH naturals AS ( SELECT 1 AS [n] UNION ALL SELECT nats.[n] + 1 FROM naturals AS nats WHERE nats.[n] < 32767 )
	INSERT #numbers (n) SELECT [n] FROM naturals OPTION (MAXRECURSION 0)
END

IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#splurge') IS NOT NULL DROP TABLE #splurge
CREATE TABLE #splurge (
	[splurgeID] INT IDENTITY (1,1)
	, [splurge] VARCHAR(MAX)

	PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED (
		[splurgeID]
		)
	)

INSERT #splurge ([splurge])
      SELECT 'Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag,TrainingProvide'
UNION SELECT 'Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,TestingAssess,Training packag,TrainingProvide'
UNION SELECT 'Computers/softw,EmployeeSupport,HealthSafety,HRSoftware,KnowledgeMan,No influence,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag,TrainingProvide'
UNION SELECT 'Computers/softw,HealthSafety,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Legal/Insurance,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,TestingAssess,Training packag'
UNION SELECT 'Computers/softw,HRSoftware,Incentives/Empl,KnowledgeMan,Recruitment,SourceHRInfo,Training packag'


SELECT DISTINCT splitSplurge.[parts]
FROM
	(
	SELECT
		s.[splurgeId] AS [splurgeId]
		, split.[parts] AS [parts]
	FROM
		#splurge AS s

		CROSS APPLY (
			SELECT SUBSTRING(',' + s.[splurge] + ',', num.[n] + 1, CHARINDEX(',', ',' + s.[splurge] + ',', num.[n] + 1) - num.[n] - 1) AS [Parts]
			FROM
				#numbers AS num
			WHERE
				SUBSTRING(',' + s.[splurge] + ',', num.[n], 1) = ','
				AND num.[n] < LEN(',' + s.[splurge] + ',')
			)
			AS split
	)
	AS splitSplurge

Charlie
===============================================================
Msg 3903, Level 16, State 1, Line 1736
The ROLLBACK TRANSACTION request has no corresponding BEGIN TRANSACTION

Transact Charlie
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

3451 Posts

Posted - 2011-02-09 : 09:21:07

Here's a good link which explains how to use a number table to do stuff that you would think you'd need a loop for.

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/62867/

Charlie
===============================================================
Msg 3903, Level 16, State 1, Line 1736
The ROLLBACK TRANSACTION request has no corresponding BEGIN TRANSACTION

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