I'm looking for a built-in function/extended function in T-SQL for string manipulation similar to the String.Format method in .NET.
If you are using SQL Server 2012 and above, you can use FORMATMESSAGE. eg.
DECLARE #s NVARCHAR(50) = 'World';
DECLARE #d INT = 123;
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %s, %d', #s, #d)
-- RETURNS 'Hello World, 123'
More examples from MSDN: FORMATMESSAGE
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int %i, %d %i, %d, %+i, %+d, %+i, %+d', 5, -5, 50, -50, -11, -11, 11, 11);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int with leading zero %020i', 5);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int with leading zero 0 %020i', -55);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned int %u, %u', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned octal %o, %o', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned hexadecimal %x, %X, %X, %X, %x', 11, 11, -11, 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned octal with prefix: %#o, %#o', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned hexadecimal with prefix: %#x, %#X, %#X, %X, %x', 11, 11, -11, 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %20s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %-20s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %20s!', 'TEST');
NOTES:
Undocumented in 2012
Limited to 2044 characters
To escape the % sign, you need to double it.
If you are logging errors in extended events, calling FORMATMESSAGE comes up as a (harmless) error
take a look at xp_sprintf. example below.
DECLARE #ret_string varchar (255)
EXEC xp_sprintf #ret_string OUTPUT,
'INSERT INTO %s VALUES (%s, %s)', 'table1', '1', '2'
PRINT #ret_string
Result looks like this:
INSERT INTO table1 VALUES (1, 2)
Just found an issue with the max size (255 char limit) of the string with this so there is an alternative function you can use:
create function dbo.fnSprintf (#s varchar(MAX),
#params varchar(MAX), #separator char(1) = ',')
returns varchar(MAX)
as
begin
declare #p varchar(MAX)
declare #paramlen int
set #params = #params + #separator
set #paramlen = len(#params)
while not #params = ''
begin
set #p = left(#params+#separator, charindex(#separator, #params)-1)
set #s = STUFF(#s, charindex('%s', #s), 2, #p)
set #params = substring(#params, len(#p)+2, #paramlen)
end
return #s
end
To get the same result as above you call the function as follows:
print dbo.fnSprintf('INSERT INTO %s VALUES (%s, %s)', 'table1,1,2', default)
I have created a user defined function to mimic the string.format functionality.
You can use it.
stringformat-in-sql
UPDATE:
This version allows the user to change the delimitter.
-- DROP function will loose the security settings.
IF object_id('[dbo].[svfn_FormatString]') IS NOT NULL
DROP FUNCTION [dbo].[svfn_FormatString]
GO
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[svfn_FormatString]
(
#Format NVARCHAR(4000),
#Parameters NVARCHAR(4000),
#Delimiter CHAR(1) = ','
)
RETURNS NVARCHAR(MAX)
AS
BEGIN
/*
Name: [dbo].[svfn_FormatString]
Creation Date: 12/18/2020
Purpose: Returns the formatted string (Just like in C-Sharp)
Input Parameters: #Format = The string to be Formatted
#Parameters = The comma separated list of parameters
#Delimiter = The delimitter to be used in the formatting process
Format: #Format = N'Hi {0}, Welcome to our site {1}. Thank you {0}'
#Parameters = N'Karthik,google.com'
#Delimiter = ','
Examples:
SELECT dbo.svfn_FormatString(N'Hi {0}, Welcome to our site {1}. Thank you {0}', N'Karthik,google.com', default)
SELECT dbo.svfn_FormatString(N'Hi {0}, Welcome to our site {1}. Thank you {0}', N'Karthik;google.com', ';')
*/
DECLARE #Message NVARCHAR(400)
DECLARE #ParamTable TABLE ( Id INT IDENTITY(0,1), Paramter VARCHAR(1000))
SELECT #Message = #Format
;WITH CTE (StartPos, EndPos) AS
(
SELECT 1, CHARINDEX(#Delimiter, #Parameters)
UNION ALL
SELECT EndPos + (LEN(#Delimiter)), CHARINDEX(#Delimiter, #Parameters, EndPos + (LEN(#Delimiter)))
FROM CTE
WHERE EndPos > 0
)
INSERT INTO #ParamTable ( Paramter )
SELECT
[Id] = SUBSTRING(#Parameters, StartPos, CASE WHEN EndPos > 0 THEN EndPos - StartPos ELSE 4000 END )
FROM CTE
UPDATE #ParamTable
SET
#Message = REPLACE(#Message, '{'+ CONVERT(VARCHAR, Id) + '}', Paramter )
RETURN #Message
END
There is a way, but it has its limitations. You can use the FORMATMESSAGE() function. It allows you to format a string using formatting similar to the printf() function in C.
However, the biggest limitation is that it will only work with messages in the sys.messages table. Here's an article about it: microsoft_library_ms186788
It's kind of a shame there isn't an easier way to do this, because there are times when you want to format a string/varchar in the database. Hopefully you are only looking to format a string in a standard way and can use the sys.messages table.
Coincidentally, you could also use the RAISERROR() function with a very low severity, the documentation for raiseerror even mentions doing this, but the results are only printed. So you wouldn't be able to do anything with the resulting value (from what I understand).
Good luck!
Raw t-sql is limited to CHARINDEX(), PATINDEX(), REPLACE(), and SUBSTRING() for string manipulation. But with sql server 2005 and later you can set up user defined functions that run in .Net, which means setting up a string.format() UDF shouldn't be too tough.
I think there is small correction while calculating end position.
Here is correct function
**>>**IF OBJECT_ID( N'[dbo].[FormatString]', 'FN' ) IS NOT NULL
DROP FUNCTION [dbo].[FormatString]
GO
/***************************************************
Object Name : FormatString
Purpose : Returns the formatted string.
Original Author : Karthik D V http://stringformat-in-sql.blogspot.com/
Sample Call:
SELECT dbo.FormatString ( N'Format {0} {1} {2} {0}', N'1,2,3' )
*******************************************/
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[FormatString](
#Format NVARCHAR(4000) ,
#Parameters NVARCHAR(4000)
)
RETURNS NVARCHAR(4000)
AS
BEGIN
--DECLARE #Format NVARCHAR(4000), #Parameters NVARCHAR(4000) select #format='{0}{1}', #Parameters='hello,world'
DECLARE #Message NVARCHAR(400), #Delimiter CHAR(1)
DECLARE #ParamTable TABLE ( ID INT IDENTITY(0,1), Parameter VARCHAR(1000) )
Declare #startPos int, #endPos int
SELECT #Message = #Format, #Delimiter = ','**>>**
--handle first parameter
set #endPos=CHARINDEX(#Delimiter,#Parameters)
if (#endPos=0 and #Parameters is not null) --there is only one parameter
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) values(#Parameters)
else begin
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) select substring(#Parameters,0,#endPos)
end
while #endPos>0
Begin
--insert a row for each parameter in the
set #startPos = #endPos + LEN(#Delimiter)
set #endPos = CHARINDEX(#Delimiter,#Parameters, #startPos)
if (#endPos>0)
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter)
select substring(#Parameters,#startPos,#endPos - #startPos)
else
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter)
select substring(#Parameters,#startPos,4000)
End
UPDATE #ParamTable SET #Message =
REPLACE ( #Message, '{'+CONVERT(VARCHAR,ID) + '}', Parameter )
RETURN #Message
END
Go
grant execute,references on dbo.formatString to public
One more idea.
Although this is not a universal solution - it is simple and works, at least for me :)
For one placeholder {0}:
create function dbo.Format1
(
#String nvarchar(4000),
#Param0 sql_variant
)
returns nvarchar(4000)
as
begin
declare #Null nvarchar(4) = N'NULL';
return replace(#String, N'{0}', cast(isnull(#Param0, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
end
For two placeholders {0} and {1}:
create function dbo.Format2
(
#String nvarchar(4000),
#Param0 sql_variant,
#Param1 sql_variant
)
returns nvarchar(4000)
as
begin
declare #Null nvarchar(4) = N'NULL';
set #String = replace(#String, N'{0}', cast(isnull(#Param0, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
return replace(#String, N'{1}', cast(isnull(#Param1, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
end
For three placeholders {0}, {1} and {2}:
create function dbo.Format3
(
#String nvarchar(4000),
#Param0 sql_variant,
#Param1 sql_variant,
#Param2 sql_variant
)
returns nvarchar(4000)
as
begin
declare #Null nvarchar(4) = N'NULL';
set #String = replace(#String, N'{0}', cast(isnull(#Param0, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
set #String = replace(#String, N'{1}', cast(isnull(#Param1, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
return replace(#String, N'{2}', cast(isnull(#Param2, #Null) as nvarchar(4000)));
end
and so on...
Such an approach allows us to use these functions in SELECT statement and with parameters of nvarchar, number, bit and datetime datatypes.
For example:
declare #Param0 nvarchar(10) = N'IPSUM' ,
#Param1 int = 1234567 ,
#Param2 datetime2(0) = getdate();
select dbo.Format3(N'Lorem {0} dolor, {1} elit at {2}', #Param0, #Param1, #Param2);
Actually there is no built in function similar to string.Format function of .NET is available in SQL server.
There is a function FORMATMESSAGE() in SQL server but it mimics to printf() function of C not string.Format function of .NET.
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('This is the %s and this is the %s.', 'first variable', 'second variable') AS Result
Here is my version. Can be extended to accommodate more number of parameters and can extend formatting based on type. Currently only date and datetime types are formatted.
Example:
select dbo.FormatString('some string %s some int %s date %s','"abcd"',100,cast(getdate() as date),DEFAULT,DEFAULT)
select dbo.FormatString('some string %s some int %s date time %s','"abcd"',100,getdate(),DEFAULT,DEFAULT)
Output:
some string "abcd" some int 100 date 29-Apr-2017
some string "abcd" some int 100 date time 29-Apr-2017 19:40
Functions:
create function dbo.FormatValue(#param sql_variant)
returns nvarchar(100)
begin
/*
Tejasvi Hegde, 29-April-2017
Can extend formatting here.
*/
declare #result nvarchar(100)
if (SQL_VARIANT_PROPERTY(#param,'BaseType') in ('date'))
begin
select #result = REPLACE(CONVERT(CHAR(11), #param, 106), ' ', '-')
end
else if (SQL_VARIANT_PROPERTY(#param,'BaseType') in ('datetime','datetime2'))
begin
select #result = REPLACE(CONVERT(CHAR(11), #param, 106), ' ', '-')+' '+CONVERT(VARCHAR(5),#param,108)
end
else
begin
select #result = cast(#param as nvarchar(100))
end
return #result
/*
BaseType:
bigint
binary
char
date
datetime
datetime2
datetimeoffset
decimal
float
int
money
nchar
numeric
nvarchar
real
smalldatetime
smallint
smallmoney
time
tinyint
uniqueidentifier
varbinary
varchar
*/
end;
create function dbo.FormatString(
#format nvarchar(4000)
,#param1 sql_variant = null
,#param2 sql_variant = null
,#param3 sql_variant = null
,#param4 sql_variant = null
,#param5 sql_variant = null
)
returns nvarchar(4000)
begin
/*
Tejasvi Hegde, 29-April-2017
select dbo.FormatString('some string value %s some int %s date %s','"abcd"',100,cast(getdate() as date),DEFAULT,DEFAULT)
select dbo.FormatString('some string value %s some int %s date time %s','"abcd"',100,getdate(),DEFAULT,DEFAULT)
*/
declare #result nvarchar(4000)
select #param1 = dbo.formatValue(#param1)
,#param2 = dbo.formatValue(#param2)
,#param3 = dbo.formatValue(#param3)
,#param4 = dbo.formatValue(#param4)
,#param5 = dbo.formatValue(#param5)
select #param2 = cast(#param2 as nvarchar)
EXEC xp_sprintf #result OUTPUT,#format , #param1, #param2, #param3, #param4, #param5
return #result
end;
here's what I found with my experiments using the built-in
FORMATMESSAGE() function
sp_addmessage #msgnum=50001,#severity=1,#msgText='Hello %s you are #%d',#replace='replace'
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE(50001, 'Table1', 5)
when you call up sp_addmessage, your message template gets stored into the system table master.dbo.sysmessages (verified on SQLServer 2000).
You must manage addition and removal of template strings from the table yourself, which is awkward if all you really want is output a quick message to the results screen.
The solution provided by Kathik DV, looks interesting but doesn't work with SQL Server 2000, so i altered it a bit, and this version should work with all versions of SQL Server:
IF OBJECT_ID( N'[dbo].[FormatString]', 'FN' ) IS NOT NULL
DROP FUNCTION [dbo].[FormatString]
GO
/***************************************************
Object Name : FormatString
Purpose : Returns the formatted string.
Original Author : Karthik D V http://stringformat-in-sql.blogspot.com/
Sample Call:
SELECT dbo.FormatString ( N'Format {0} {1} {2} {0}', N'1,2,3' )
*******************************************/
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[FormatString](
#Format NVARCHAR(4000) ,
#Parameters NVARCHAR(4000)
)
RETURNS NVARCHAR(4000)
AS
BEGIN
--DECLARE #Format NVARCHAR(4000), #Parameters NVARCHAR(4000) select #format='{0}{1}', #Parameters='hello,world'
DECLARE #Message NVARCHAR(400), #Delimiter CHAR(1)
DECLARE #ParamTable TABLE ( ID INT IDENTITY(0,1), Parameter VARCHAR(1000) )
Declare #startPos int, #endPos int
SELECT #Message = #Format, #Delimiter = ','
--handle first parameter
set #endPos=CHARINDEX(#Delimiter,#Parameters)
if (#endPos=0 and #Parameters is not null) --there is only one parameter
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) values(#Parameters)
else begin
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) select substring(#Parameters,0,#endPos)
end
while #endPos>0
Begin
--insert a row for each parameter in the
set #startPos = #endPos + LEN(#Delimiter)
set #endPos = CHARINDEX(#Delimiter,#Parameters, #startPos)
if (#endPos>0)
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) select substring(#Parameters,#startPos,#endPos)
else
insert into #ParamTable (Parameter) select substring(#Parameters,#startPos,4000)
End
UPDATE #ParamTable SET #Message = REPLACE ( #Message, '{'+CONVERT(VARCHAR,ID) + '}', Parameter )
RETURN #Message
END
Go
grant execute,references on dbo.formatString to public
Usage:
print dbo.formatString('hello {0}... you are {1}','world,good')
--result: hello world... you are good
At the moment this doesn't really exist (although you can of course write your own). There is an open connect bug for it: https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/Feedback/Details/3130221, which as of this writing has just 1 vote.
Not exactly, but I would check out some of the articles on string handling (amongst other things) by "Phil Factor" (geddit?) on Simple Talk.
this is bad approach. you should work with assembly dll's, in which will do the same for you with better performance.
Related
I am busy with a stored procedure to calculate production numbers of shifts. I already have an idea on how to do that but for some kind of strange reason I do not get an insert into with a variable time working. Below is query for the stored procedure:
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[ProductionReport]
#filterStartTime datetime,
#filterEndTime datetime,
#machine varchar(10)
AS
BEGIN
-- SET NOCOUNT ON added to prevent extra result sets from
-- interfering with SELECT statements.
SET NOCOUNT ON;
CREATE TABLE #tempProductionTable(
id varchar(3),
ploeg varchar(3),
starttime2 datetime,
endtime2 datetime,
daynumber int)
declare #i int
, #SQLString varchar(400)
, #id varchar(3)
, #ploeg varchar(3)
, #starttime datetime
, #endtime datetime
set #i = 0
while #i < 16
begin
set #i = #i+1
set #id = #i
set #starttime = convert(datetime, #filterStartTime,110)
print #starttime
set #ploeg = '2'
SET #SQLString = 'INSERT INTO #tempProductionTable (id,ploeg,starttime2) values ('+#id+','+#ploeg+','+#starttime+')'
EXEC(#SQLString)
end
-- Insert statements for procedure here
SELECT * from #tempProductionTable
END
And this is the query for opening the stored procedure:
USE [NRPConfiguration]
GO
DECLARE #return_value int
EXEC #return_value = [dbo].[ProductionReport]
#filterStartTime = '2017-01-01 10:00:00.000',
#filterEndTime = N'2-1-2017 0:00',
#machine = N'ASM_008'
SELECT 'Return Value' = #return_value
GO
I already tried a lot of things but still can't get it working. For example when I manually insert a time than it is working. But when I want to do it with an variable it is not working also when I am using the convert function for it. What am I doing wrong?
I use SQL Server 2008 R2 for this.
Quit concatenating strings to executed dynamic sql, use sp_executesql instead.
Your error can be correct by specifying dates in ISO format (or in the format Dan Bracuk mentioned in his comment). e.g. '2017-04-01T23:59:59.363'
#BackToBasics : Dating Responsibly - Aaron Bertrand
Here is how you would use sp_executesql instead:
alter procedure [dbo].[ProductionReport] (
#filterStartTime datetime,
#filterEndTime datetime,
#machine varchar(10)
) as
begin;
-- set nocount on added to prevent extra result sets from
-- interfering with select statements.
set nocount on;
create table #tempProductionTable(
id varchar(3)
, ploeg varchar(3)
, starttime2 datetime
, endtime2 datetime
, daynumber int
);
declare #i int
, #params nvarchar(max)
, #sqlstring nvarchar(max)
, #id varchar(3)
, #ploeg varchar(3)
, #starttime datetime
, #endtime datetime;
set #params = '#id int, #ploeg varchar(3), #starttime datetime';
set #sqlstring = 'insert into #tempProductionTable (id,ploeg,starttime2) values (#id,#ploeg,#starttime);';
set #i = 0
while #i < 16
begin
set #i = #i+1
set #id = #i
set #starttime = convert(datetime, #filterStartTime,110)
set #ploeg = '2'
print #starttime
exec sp_executesql #sqlstring, #params, #id, #ploeg, #starttime;
end
-- Insert statements for procedure here
select * from #tempProductionTable
end;
go
rextester demo: http://rextester.com/KPBR1056
Let's say I have data:
heloo
cuube
triniity
How to write script that will replace those "doubled" characters with only one? So the result from the above data set would be:
helo
cube
trinity
Usually I post some script where I tried to achieve this, but this time I can't think of any.
This should work:
CREATE PROCEDURE remove_duplicate_characters(#string VARCHAR(100))
AS
DECLARE #result VARCHAR(100)
SET #result=''
SELECT #result=#result+MIN(SUBSTRING(#string ,number,1)) FROM
(
SELECT number FROM master..spt_values WHERE type='p' AND number BETWEEN 1 AND len(#string )) AS t GROUP BY SUBSTRING(#string,number,1) ORDER BY MIN(number)
)
SELECT #result
GO
You then call it like this:
EXEC remove_duplicate_characters 'heloo'
Source
This script does not depend on having access to master functions, and just relies on t-sql string functions.
declare #word varchar(100) = 'aaaacuuuuuubeeeee', #result varchar(100) = ''
declare #letter char, #idx int = 0, #lastletter char = ''
while(#idx <= len(#word))
begin
select #letter = substring(#word,#idx,1)
if (#letter != #lastletter)
begin
select #result = concat(#result,#letter)
end
select #lastletter = #letter,#idx = #idx + 1
end
select #result
my problem is pretty simple. I get a value from a sql select which looks like this:
ARAMAUBEBABRBGCNDKDEEEFOFIFRGEGRIEISITJPYUCAKZKG
and I need it like this:
AR,AM,AU,BE,BA,BR,BG,CN,DK,DE,EE,FO,FI,FR,GE,GR,IE,IS,IT,JP,YU,CA,KZ,KG
The length is different in each dataset.
I tried it with format(), stuff() and so on but nothing brought me the result I need.
Thanks in advance
With a little help of a numbers table and for xml path.
-- Sample table
declare #T table
(
Value nvarchar(100)
)
-- Sample data
insert into #T values
('ARAMAU'),
('ARAMAUBEBABRBGCNDKDEEEFOFIFRGEGRIEISITJPYUCAKZKG')
declare #Len int
set #Len = 2;
select stuff(T2.X.value('.', 'nvarchar(max)'), 1, 1, '')
from #T as T1
cross apply (select ','+substring(T1.Value, 1+Number*#Len, #Len)
from Numbers
where Number >= 0 and
Number < len(T1.Value) / #Len
order by Number
for xml path(''), type) as T2(X)
Try on SE-Data
Time to update your resume.
create function DontDoThis (
#string varchar(max),
#count int
)
returns varchar(max)
as
begin
declare #result varchar(max) = ''
declare #token varchar(max) = ''
while DATALENGTH(#string) > 0
begin
select #token = left(#string, #count)
select #string = REPLACE(#string, #token, '')
select #result += #token + case when DATALENGTH(#string) = 0 then '' else ',' end
end
return #result
end
Call:
declare #test varchar(max) = 'ARAMAUBEBABRBGCNDKDEEEFOFIFRGEGRIEISITJPYUCAKZKG'
select dbo.DontDoThis(#test, 2)
gbn's comment is exactly right, if not very diplomatic :) TSQL is a poor language for string manipulation, but if you write a CLR function to do this then you will have the best of both worlds: .NET string functions called from pure TSQL.
I believe this is what QQping is looking for.
-- select .dbo.DelineateEachNth('ARAMAUBEBABRBGCNDKDEEEFOFIFRGEGRIEISITJPYUCAKZKG',2,',')
create function DelineateEachNth
(
#str varchar(max), -- Incoming String to parse
#length int, -- Length of desired segment
#delimiter varchar(100) -- Segment delimiter (comma, tab, line-feed, etc)
)
returns varchar(max)
AS
begin
declare #resultString varchar(max) = ''
-- only set delimiter(s) when lenght of string is longer than desired segment
if LEN(#str) > #length
begin
-- continue as long as there is a remaining string to parse
while len(#str) > 0
begin
-- as long as know we still need to create a segment...
if LEN(#str) > #length
begin
-- build result string from leftmost segment length
set #resultString = #resultString + left(#str, #length) + #delimiter
-- continually shorten result string by current segment
set #str = right(#str, len(#str) - #length)
end
-- as soon as the remaining string is segment length or less,
-- just use the remainder and empty the string to close the loop
else
begin
set #resultString = #resultString + #str
set #str = ''
end
end
end
-- if string is less than segment length, just pass it through
else
begin
set #resultString = #str
end
return #resultString
end
With a little help from Regex
select Wow=
(select case when MatchIndex %2 = 0 and MatchIndex!=0 then ',' + match else match end
from dbo.RegExMatches('[^\n]','ARAMAUBEBABRBGCNDKDEEEFOFIFRGEGRIEISITJPYUCAKZKG',1)
for xml path(''))
I'm trying to write a UDF to translate a string that is either a guid or a project code associated with that guid into the guid:
CREATE FUNCTION fn_user_GetProjectID
(
#Project nvarchar(50)
)
RETURNS uniqueidentifier
AS
BEGIN
declare #ProjectID uniqueidentifier
BEGIN TRY
set #ProjectID = cast(#Project as uniqueidentifier)
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
set #ProjectID = null
END CATCH
if(#ProjectID is null)
BEGIN
select #ProjectID = ProjectID from Project where projectcode = #Project
END
return #ProjectID
END
This works fine if the above code is embedded in my Stored Procedures, but I'd like to make a function out of it so that I follow DRY.
When I try to create the Function, I get errors like this:
Msg 443, Level 16, State 14, Procedure fn_user_GetProjectID, Line 16
Invalid use of side-effecting or time-dependent operator in 'BEGIN TRY' within a function.
Does anyone have an idea how I can get around this error?
Edit: I know I can't use Try-Catch in a Function, I guess a simplified questions would be, is there a way to do a cast that will just return NULL if the cast fails, instead of an error?
Apparently you can't use TRY-CATCH in a UDF.
According to this bug-reporting page for SQL Server:
Books Online documents this behaviour,
in topic "CREATE FUNCTION
(Transact-SQL)": "The following
statements are valid in a function:
[...] Control-of-Flow statements
except TRY...CATCH statements. [...]"
But they were giving hope for the future back in 2006:
However, this is a severe limitation
that should be removed in a future
release. You should post a suggestion
in this regard and I will
wholeheartedly vote for it.
From MSDN:
A column or local variable of
uniqueidentifier data type can be
initialized to a value in the
following ways:
By using the NEWID function.
By converting from a string constant
in the form
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx,
in which each x is a hexadecimal digit
in the range 0-9 or a-f.
For example,
6F9619FF-8B86-D011-B42D-00C04FC964FF
is a valid uniqueidentifier value.
You can use pattern matching to verify the string. Note that this won't work for specific encoding that reduces the size of the GUID:
declare #Project nvarchar(50)
declare #ProjectID uniqueidentifier
declare #HexPattern nvarchar(268)
set #HexPattern =
'[A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9]' +
'[A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9]' +
'[A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9]' +
'[A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9][A-F0-9]'
/* Take into account GUID can have curly-brackets or be missing dashes */
/* Note: this will not work for GUIDs that have been specially encoded */
set #Project = '{' + CAST(NEWID() AS VARCHAR(36)) + '}'
select #Project
set #Project = REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(#Project,'{',''),'}',''),'-','')
/* Cast as uniqueid if pattern matches, otherwise return null */
if #Project LIKE #HexPattern
select #ProjectID = CAST(
SUBSTRING(#Project,1,8) + '-' +
SUBSTRING(#Project,9,4) + '-' +
SUBSTRING(#Project,13,4) + '-' +
SUBSTRING(#Project,17,4) + '-' +
SUBSTRING(#Project,21,LEN(#Project)-20)
AS uniqueidentifier)
select #ProjectID
I know I can't use Try-Catch in a Function, I guess a simplified questions would be, is there a way to do a cast that will just return NULL if the cast fails, instead of an error?
Starting from SQL Server 2012 you could use TRY_CAST/TRY_CONVERT functions:
Returns a value cast to the specified data type if the cast succeeds; otherwise, returns null.
CREATE FUNCTION fn_user_GetProjectID(#Project nvarchar(50))
RETURNS uniqueidentifier
AS
BEGIN
declare #ProjectID uniqueidentifier = TRY_CAST(#Project as uniqueidentifier);
IF(#ProjectID is null)
BEGIN
select #ProjectID = ProjectID from Project where projectcode = #Project;
END
return #ProjectID;
END
Not sure, but why not flip it around... at first glance I would simplify it like this:
select #ProjectID =
ISNULL((select ProjectID from Project where
projectcode = #Project)
,(cast #Project as uniqueidentifier))
If this doesn't provide enough error handling, I'm sure there's a better way to pre-check that the cast can work without using try/catch...
My brute force method was to create my own ToGuid() function that verifies it can be converted to a GUID first, if not, it returns null. It may not be very fast but it does the job, and it is probably faster to convert the guid if it is one than to try to look it up in the table. EDIT: I meant to give credit to this blog, where I got the basis of my code for this function: http://jesschadwick.blogspot.com/2007/11/safe-handling-of-uniqueidentifier-in.html
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[ToGuid]
(
#input NVARCHAR(MAX)
)
RETURNS uniqueidentifier
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE #isValidGuid BIT;
DECLARE #temp NVARCHAR(MAX);
SET #isValidGuid = 1;
SET #temp = UPPER(LTRIM(RTRIM(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(#input, '-', ''), '{', ''), '}', ''))));
IF(#temp IS NOT NULL AND LEN(#temp) = 32)
BEGIN
DECLARE #index INT;
SET #index = 1
WHILE (#index <= 32)
BEGIN
IF (SUBSTRING(#temp, #index, 1) IN ('0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', '0', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F'))
BEGIN
SET #index = #index + 1
END
ELSE
BEGIN
SET #isValidGuid = 0
BREAK;
END
END
END
ELSE
BEGIN
SET #isValidGuid = 0
END
DECLARE #ret UNIQUEIDENTIFIER
IF(#isValidGuid = 1)
set #ret = cast(#input AS UNIQUEIDENTIFIER)
ELSE
set #ret = NULL
RETURN #ret
END
I'm still very interested if there is a better answer than this.
Verify if #Project is a number using the ISNUMERIC function.
your code should looks like that:
declare #ProjectID uniqueidentifier
set #ProjectID = null
IF ISNUMERIC(#Project) > 0
BEGIN
set #ProjectID = cast(#Project as uniqueidentifier)
END
if(#ProjectID is null)
BEGIN
select #ProjectID = ProjectID from Project where projectcode = #Project
END
return #ProjectID
I have a piece of dynamic SQL I need to execute, I then need to store the result into a variable.
I know I can use sp_executesql but can't find clear examples around about how to do this.
If you have OUTPUT parameters you can do
DECLARE #retval int
DECLARE #sSQL nvarchar(500);
DECLARE #ParmDefinition nvarchar(500);
DECLARE #tablename nvarchar(50)
SELECT #tablename = N'products'
SELECT #sSQL = N'SELECT #retvalOUT = MAX(ID) FROM ' + #tablename;
SET #ParmDefinition = N'#retvalOUT int OUTPUT';
EXEC sp_executesql #sSQL, #ParmDefinition, #retvalOUT=#retval OUTPUT;
SELECT #retval;
But if you don't, and can not modify the SP:
-- Assuming that your SP return 1 value
create table #temptable (ID int null)
insert into #temptable exec mysp 'Value1', 'Value2'
select * from #temptable
Not pretty, but works.
DECLARE #vi INT
DECLARE #vQuery NVARCHAR(1000)
SET #vQuery = N'SELECT #vi= COUNT(*) FROM <TableName>'
EXEC SP_EXECUTESQL
#Query = #vQuery
, #Params = N'#vi INT OUTPUT'
, #vi = #vi OUTPUT
SELECT #vi
DECLARE #tab AS TABLE (col1 VARCHAR(10), col2 varchar(10))
INSERT into #tab EXECUTE sp_executesql N'
SELECT 1 AS col1, 2 AS col2
UNION ALL
SELECT 1 AS col1, 2 AS col2
UNION ALL
SELECT 1 AS col1, 2 AS col2'
SELECT * FROM #tab
Return values are generally not used to "return" a result but to return success (0) or an error number (1-65K). The above all seem to indicate that sp_executesql does not return a value, which is not correct. sp_executesql will return 0 for success and any other number for failure.
In the below, #i will return 2727
DECLARE #s NVARCHAR(500)
DECLARE #i INT;
SET #s = 'USE [Blah]; UPDATE STATISTICS [dbo].[TableName] [NonExistantStatisticsName];';
EXEC #i = sys.sp_executesql #s
SELECT #i AS 'Blah'
SSMS will show this
Msg 2727, Level 11, State 1, Line 1
Cannot find index 'NonExistantStaticsName'.
If you want to return more than 1 value use this:
DECLARE #sqlstatement2 NVARCHAR(MAX);
DECLARE #retText NVARCHAR(MAX);
DECLARE #ParmDefinition NVARCHAR(MAX);
DECLARE #retIndex INT = 0;
SELECT #sqlstatement = 'SELECT #retIndexOUT=column1 #retTextOUT=column2 FROM XXX WHERE bla bla';
SET #ParmDefinition = N'#retIndexOUT INT OUTPUT, #retTextOUT NVARCHAR(MAX) OUTPUT';
exec sp_executesql #sqlstatement, #ParmDefinition, #retIndexOUT=#retIndex OUTPUT, #retTextOUT=#retText OUTPUT;
returned values are in #retIndex and #retText
Declare #variable int
Exec #variable = proc_name
DECLARE #ValueTable TABLE
(
Value VARCHAR (100)
)
SELECT #sql = N'SELECT SRS_SizeSetDetails.'+#COLUMN_NAME+' FROM SRS_SizeSetDetails WHERE FSizeID = '''+#FSizeID+''' AND SRS_SizeSetID = '''+#SRS_SizeSetID+'''';
INSERT INTO #ValueTable
EXEC sp_executesql #sql;
SET #Value='';
SET #Value = (SELECT TOP 1 Value FROM #ValueTable)
DELETE FROM #ValueTable
This worked for me:
DECLARE #SQL NVARCHAR(4000)
DECLARE #tbl Table (
Id int,
Account varchar(50),
Amount int
)
-- Lots of code to Create my dynamic sql statement
insert into #tbl EXEC sp_executesql #SQL
select * from #tbl
Here's something you can try
DECLARE #SqlStatement NVARCHAR(MAX) = ''
,#result XML
,#DatabaseName VARCHAR(100)
,#SchemaName VARCHAR(10)
,#ObjectName VARCHAR(200);
SELECT #DatabaseName = 'some database'
,#SchemaName = 'some schema'
,#ObjectName = 'some object (Table/View)'
SET #SqlStatement = '
SELECT #result = CONVERT(XML,
STUFF( ( SELECT *
FROM
(
SELECT TOP(100)
*
FROM ' + QUOTENAME(#DatabaseName) +'.'+ QUOTENAME(#SchemaName) +'.' + QUOTENAME(#ObjectName) + '
) AS A1
FOR XML PATH(''row''), ELEMENTS, ROOT(''recordset'')
), 1, 0, '''')
)
';
EXEC sp_executesql #SqlStatement,N'#result XML OUTPUT', #result = #result OUTPUT;
SELECT DISTINCT
QUOTENAME(r.value('fn:local-name(.)', 'VARCHAR(200)')) AS ColumnName
FROM #result.nodes('//recordset/*/*') AS records(r)
ORDER BY ColumnName
This was a long time ago, so not sure if this is still needed, but you could use ##ROWCOUNT variable to see how many rows were affected with the previous sql statement.
This is helpful when for example you construct a dynamic Update statement and run it with exec. ##ROWCOUNT would show how many rows were updated.
Here is the definition