sql server sub query with a comma separated resultset

Question

I need to return records on a table and my result set needs to contain a comma separated list.

I have attached an image of the 3 tables. I need to do a select that returns the record in the first table and include the last of AwardFocusName that exist in the 3rd table in the screenshot.

So my result set would return one record and include the list of AwardFocusNames in it (comma separated).

Solution 1

Here's a trick I've used in the past to do similar things. Use SUBSTRING function.

    SELECT n.nominationID
        , SUBSTRING((
                            SELECT ',' + naf.awardFocusName
                            FROM NominationAwardFocus naf
                            JOIN AwardFocus af
                                ON naf.awardFocusID = af.awardFocusID
                            WHERE n.nominationID = naf.nominationID
                            FOR XML PATH('')

                        ), 2, 1000000)
    FROM Nomination n

Note that the 2 is used to chop off the leading comma that the subselect adds to the first item, and 1000000 is chosen as a large number to mean "all of the rest of the string".

Solution 2

Create a Scalar-valued Function like this

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[CreateCSV](
    @Id AS INT
)
RETURNS VARCHAR(MAX)
AS
BEGIN
    Declare @lst varchar(max)

    select @lst = isnull(@lst+',','')+AF.AwardFocusName
    from AwardFocus as AF
    inner join AwardFoccusNomination as AFN
        on AF.AwardFocusID = AFN.AwardFocusID
    where AFN.NominationID=@Id


    return @lst

END

Solution 3

I think the best solution would be to create a User defined aggregate that concatenates the values (in a group) into a comma separated list. See Example 1 at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms131056.aspx

Usage:

SELECT 
     Nomination.NominationId, 
     Nomination.Created,
     Nomination.Updated,
     dbo.Concatenate(AwardFocus.AwardFocusName) As Names
FROM 
     Nomination
     JOIN NominationAwardFocus 
       ON Nomination.NominationId = NominationAwardFocus.NominationId 
     JOIN AwardFocus
       ON NominationAwardFocus.AwardFocusId = AwardFocus.AwardFocusId
GROUP BY  
     Nomination.NominationId, 
     Nomination.Created,
     Nomination.Updated

Comments

[obautista]

Table names are Nomination, AwardFocus, NominationAwardFocus (in the order they appear in the screenshot).

[Gert Arnold]

Duplicate: Comma separated results in SQL

[Mikael Eriksson]

You should try this with an awardFocusName containing an &. It's not pretty.

[Hagelt18]

I did run into the & issue, but a simple REPLACE solved the problem.

[sohaiby]

I wish I can vote multiple times for this answer.. You save my day sir, Thank you :)

[Naner]

Thanks! I wish there was a function like the GROUP_CONCAT in MySQL

[Matthew]

See here for a similar solution using the STUFF function stackoverflow.com/a/31212160/8595398