Take Away Notes

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.fnSplit(
    @sInputList VARCHAR(8000) — List of delimited items
  , @sDelimiter VARCHAR(8000) = ‘,’ — delimiter that separates items
) RETURNS @List TABLE (item VARCHAR(8000))

BEGIN
DECLARE @sItem VARCHAR(8000)
WHILE CHARINDEX(@sDelimiter,@sInputList,0) <> 0
 BEGIN
 SELECT
  @sItem=RTRIM(LTRIM(SUBSTRING(@sInputList,1,CHARINDEX(@sDelimiter,@sInputList,0)-1))),
  @sInputList=RTRIM(LTRIM(SUBSTRING(@sInputList,CHARINDEX(@sDelimiter,@sInputList,0)+LEN(@sDelimiter),LEN(@sInputList))))
 
 IF LEN(@sItem) > 0
  INSERT INTO @List SELECT @sItem
 END

IF LEN(@sInputList) > 0
 INSERT INTO @List SELECT @sInputList — Put the last item in
RETURN
END
GO

–Test
select * from fnSplit(’1,22,333,444,,5555,666′, ‘,’)
select * from fnSplit(’1##22#333##444′,’##’)  –note second item has embedded #
select * from fnSplit(’1 22 333 444  5555 666′, ‘ ‘)