SQL Server Split Comma Separated Values into Columns

How to split a comma-separated value to columns

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[fn_split_string_to_column] (
    @string NVARCHAR(MAX),
    @delimiter CHAR(1)
    )
RETURNS @out_put TABLE (
    [column_id] INT IDENTITY(1, 1) NOT NULL,
    [value] NVARCHAR(MAX)
    )
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @value NVARCHAR(MAX),
        @pos INT = 0,
        @len INT = 0

    SET @string = CASE 
            WHEN RIGHT(@string, 1) != @delimiter
                THEN @string + @delimiter
            ELSE @string
            END

    WHILE CHARINDEX(@delimiter, @string, @pos + 1) > 0
    BEGIN
        SET @len = CHARINDEX(@delimiter, @string, @pos + 1) - @pos
        SET @value = SUBSTRING(@string, @pos, @len)

        INSERT INTO @out_put ([value])
        SELECT LTRIM(RTRIM(@value)) AS [column]

        SET @pos = CHARINDEX(@delimiter, @string, @pos + @len) + 1
    END

    RETURN
END

how to split the comma separated value into columns

first create function to split values

create function [dbo].[udf_splitstring] (@tokens    varchar(max),
                                   @delimiter varchar(5))
returns @split table (
  token varchar(200) not null )
as

  begin

      declare @list xml

      select @list = cast('<a>'
                          + replace(@tokens, @delimiter, '</a><a>')
                          + '</a>' as xml)

      insert into @split
                  (token)
      select ltrim(t.value('.', 'varchar(200)')) as data
      from   @list.nodes('/a') as x(t)

      return

  end

SELECT 
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='CLAR'   THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME1' ,
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='ALWIN'  THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME2', 
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='ANTONY' THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME3', 
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='RINU'   THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME4', 
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='DAMI'   THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME5', 
max(CASE WHEN TOKEN='PRINCE' THEN TOKEN END) 'NAME6'
FROM #Table1 as t1
CROSS APPLY [dbo].UDF_SPLITSTRING(name,',') as t2

output

NAME1   NAME2   NAME3   NAME4   NAME5   NAME6
clar    alwin   antony  rinu    dami    prince

Split Comma Separated values into multiple column

Your sample data may not need any splitting. You want to move the data to a column based on the value it finds. You can do this a bit simpler than splitting the data. This works just fine for your sample data.

declare @Something table
(
    Combined_Column varchar(10)
)

insert @Something values
('1,2,3')
, ('2')
, ('1,3')
, ('1,2,3,4')
, ('1,3,4')
, ('1')
, ('4')

select *
    , col1 = case when charindex('1', s.Combined_Column) > 0 then 1 end
    , col2 = case when charindex('2', s.Combined_Column) > 0 then 2 end
    , col3 = case when charindex('3', s.Combined_Column) > 0 then 3 end
    , col4 = case when charindex('4', s.Combined_Column) > 0 then 4 end
from @Something s

Split comma separated values into target table with fixed number of columns

It is typically bad design to store CSV values in a single column. If at all possible, use an array or a properly normalized design instead.

While stuck with your current situation ...

For known small maximum number of elements

A simple solution without trickery or recursion will do:

SELECT id, 1 AS rnk
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 1) AS c1
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 2) AS c2
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 3) AS c3
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 4) AS c4
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 5) AS c5
FROM   tbl
WHERE  split_part(csv, ', ', 1) <> '' -- skip empty rows

UNION ALL
SELECT id, 2
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 6)
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 7)
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 8)
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 9)
     , split_part(csv, ', ', 10)
FROM   tbl
WHERE  split_part(csv, ', ', 6) <> '' -- skip empty rows

-- three more blocks to cover a maximum "around 20"

ORDER  BY id, rnk;

db<>fiddle here

id being the PK of the original table.

This assumes ', ' as separator, obviously.

You can adapt easily.

Related:

• Split comma separated column data into additional columns

For unknown number of elements

Various ways. One way use regexp_replace() to replace every fifth separator before unnesting ...

-- for any number of elements
SELECT t.id, c.rnk
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 1) AS c1
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 2) AS c2
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 3) AS c3
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 4) AS c4
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 5) AS c5
FROM   tbl t
     , unnest(string_to_array(regexp_replace(csv, '((?:.*?,){4}.*?),', '\1;', 'g'), '; ')) WITH ORDINALITY c(csv5, rnk)
ORDER  BY t.id, c.rnk;

db<>fiddle here

This assumes that the chosen separator ; never appears in your strings. (Just like , can never appear.)

The regular expression pattern is the key: '((?:.*?,){4}.*?),'

(?:) ... “non-capturing” set of parentheses

() ... “capturing” set of parentheses

*? ... non-greedy quantifier

{4}? ... sequence of exactly 4 matches

The replacement '\1;' contains the back-reference \1.

'g' as fourth function parameter is required for repeated replacement.

Further reading:

• PostgreSQL & regexp_split_to_array + unnest
• Apply `trim()` and `regexp_replace()` on text array
• PostgreSQL unnest() with element number

Other ways to solve this include a recursive CTE or a set-returning function ...

Fill from right to left

(Like you added in How to put values starting from the right side into columns?)

Simply count down numbers like:

SELECT t.id, c.rnk
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 5) AS c1
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 4) AS c2
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 3) AS c3
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 2) AS c4
     , split_part(c.csv5, ', ', 1) AS c5
FROM ...

db<>fiddle here

SQL server split string into columns by delimiter (dynamic length)

An xml-based solution

declare @tmp table (STRING varchar(500))

insert into @tmp
values
 ('AA.0.HJ')
,('AABBCC.099.0')
,('0.91.JAH21')

;WITH Splitted
AS (
    SELECT STRING
        ,CAST('<x>' + REPLACE(STRING, '.', '</x><x>') + '</x>' AS XML) AS Parts
    FROM @tmp
    )
SELECT STRING
    ,Parts.value(N'/x[1]', 'varchar(50)') AS [First]
    ,Parts.value(N'/x[2]', 'varchar(50)') AS [Second]
    ,Parts.value(N'/x[3]', 'varchar(50)') AS [Third] 
FROM Splitted;

Output:

sql server split comma separated values into columns

Dynamically solve this problem, use DSQL to add more columns in the result accordingly.

--create split function
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[SO_Split]
(
    @List nvarchar(2000),
    @SplitOn nvarchar(5)
) 
RETURNS @RtnValue table
(

    Id int identity(1,1),
    Value nvarchar(100)
)
AS 
BEGIN
While (Charindex(@SplitOn,@List)>0)
Begin
Insert Into @RtnValue (value)
Select
    Value = ltrim(rtrim(Substring(@List,1,Charindex(@SplitOn,@List)-1)))
    Set @List =Substring(@List,Charindex(@SplitOn,@List)+len(@SplitOn),len(@List))
End
    Insert Into @RtnValue (Value)
    Select Value = ltrim(rtrim(@List))
    Return
END

--below is the dynamic solution for this problem
declare @sql nvarchar(3000) = 'select *'
declare @cnt int = 1
declare @rowNum int = (select max(a) from (select(select max(id) as id_max from dbo.so_split(mul_query,'*')) as a from #test) as b)

while(@cnt <= @rowNum)
begin
    set @sql = @sql + N', ISNULL((select value from dbo.so_split(mul_query,''*'') where id = '+cast(@cnt as nvarchar(5))+N'),''1'')'
    set @cnt = @cnt + 1
end

set @sql = @sql + N' from #test'

exec sp_executesql @sql

The result is attached below.

How to split more than one comma separated column as a separate row in SQL using CROSS APPLY

Since - according to your description - you used CROSS APPLY and your query was successfully executed, this means you are using a SQL Server DB, not MY SQL. You can do two CROSS APPLY to get your expected result. This will produce exactly the outcome you have shown in your question:

SELECT name, phone, value courses FROM
(SELECT name, value phone, courses 
FROM tblName CROSS APPLY STRING_SPLIT(phones, ',')) x
CROSS APPLY STRING_SPLIT(courses, ',')
ORDER BY name, courses, phone;

You can verify this here: db<>fiddle

But this is very risky and you really should avoid such comma-separated contents in one column. I highly recommend to create separate columns for the different values in future.

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