How to split a comma-separated value to columns

Question

I have a table like this

Value   String
-------------------
1       Cleo, Smith

I want to separate the comma delimited string into two columns

Value  Name Surname
-------------------
1      Cleo   Smith

I need only two fixed extra columns

Answer 1

Your purpose can be solved using following query -

Select Value  , Substring(FullName, 1,Charindex(',', FullName)-1) as Name,
Substring(FullName, Charindex(',', FullName)+1, LEN(FullName)) as  Surname
from Table1

There is no readymade Split function in sql server, so we need to create user defined function.

CREATE FUNCTION Split (
      @InputString                  VARCHAR(8000),
      @Delimiter                    VARCHAR(50)
)

RETURNS @Items TABLE (
      Item                          VARCHAR(8000)
)

AS
BEGIN
      IF @Delimiter = ' '
      BEGIN
            SET @Delimiter = ','
            SET @InputString = REPLACE(@InputString, ' ', @Delimiter)
      END

      IF (@Delimiter IS NULL OR @Delimiter = '')
            SET @Delimiter = ','

--INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Delimiter) -- Diagnostic
--INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@InputString) -- Diagnostic

      DECLARE @Item           VARCHAR(8000)
      DECLARE @ItemList       VARCHAR(8000)
      DECLARE @DelimIndex     INT

      SET @ItemList = @InputString
      SET @DelimIndex = CHARINDEX(@Delimiter, @ItemList, 0)
      WHILE (@DelimIndex != 0)
      BEGIN
            SET @Item = SUBSTRING(@ItemList, 0, @DelimIndex)
            INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Item)

            -- Set @ItemList = @ItemList minus one less item
            SET @ItemList = SUBSTRING(@ItemList, @DelimIndex+1, LEN(@ItemList)-@DelimIndex)
            SET @DelimIndex = CHARINDEX(@Delimiter, @ItemList, 0)
      END -- End WHILE

      IF @Item IS NOT NULL -- At least one delimiter was encountered in @InputString
      BEGIN
            SET @Item = @ItemList
            INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@Item)
      END

      -- No delimiters were encountered in @InputString, so just return @InputString
      ELSE INSERT INTO @Items VALUES (@InputString)

      RETURN

END -- End Function
GO

---- Set Permissions
--GRANT SELECT ON Split TO UserRole1
--GRANT SELECT ON Split TO UserRole2
--GO