Parsing XML into a Table Structure… Possible? UPDATE

Colin Stasiuk — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:04:07 +0000

So going back to

http://benchmarkitconsulting.com/colin-stasiuk/2009/01/14/parsing-xml-into-a-table-structure-possible/

Can it be done? Yes… it’s not pretty but yes it can be done. I emailed this to Brent Ozar to see if he was an XML guru as we had gone back on forth on Twitter about whether or not it’s possible. He pointed me to StackOverflow and 1 day later a user by the name FreddyB solved the problem.

DECLARE @tbl_xml XML SET @tbl_xml = ( SELECT @xml_data.query('


        {for $elem in /descendant::node()[local-name() != ""]  
        return  
          {for $attr in $elem/@* 
            return } 
        }

' 
  ) 
) 
DECLARE @sql_def_tbl VARCHAR(MAX) 
SELECT @sql_def_tbl =  
  COALESCE(@sql_def_tbl,'') 
    +'declare @tbl table ('+SUBSTRING(csv,1,LEN(csv)-1)+') ' 
  FROM ( 
    SELECT ( 
      SELECT ''+col.value('@name','varchar(max)')+' varchar(max),' 
      FROM row.nodes('col') r(col) FOR XML path('') 
    ) csv FROM @tbl_xml.nodes('//row[1]') n(row) 
  ) x 
DECLARE @sql_ins_rows VARCHAR(MAX) 
SELECT @sql_ins_rows =  
  COALESCE(@sql_ins_rows,'') 
    +'insert @tbl values ('+SUBSTRING(colcsv,1,LEN(colcsv)-1)+') ' 
  FROM ( 
    SELECT ( 
      SELECT ''''+col.value('@value','varchar(max)')+''',' 
      FROM row.nodes('col') r(col) FOR XML path('') 
    ) colcsv FROM @tbl_xml.nodes('//row') t(row) 
  ) x

EXEC (@sql_def_tbl + @sql_ins_rows + 'select * from @tbl')

Now I’m sure that now the base structure is there and works there is probably some optimizations that can be made for performance… but there ya go… it CAN be done.

Parsing XML into a Table Structure… possible?

Colin Stasiuk — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:19:15 +0000

Well let me elaborate a bit.

The use case (which I’m now hating R.K. for bringing up cause I wont let it go now LOL ) where this applies is….

“I want to insert into a temp table the results of a dynamic sql statement”

The caveat being this has to be done WITHOUT knowing the structure or being able to predefine it.

This is where I’m at right now….

DECLARE @receiveTable TABLE(xml_data XML) DECLARE @xml_data XML DECLARE @strSQL NVARCHAR(2000) SET @strSQL = 'SELECT * INTO #tmp1 FROM sysobjects;DECLARE @tbl TABLE(xml_data xml); DECLARE @xml xml;



Set @xml = (Select * from #tmp1 FOR XML AUTO); INSERT INTO @tbl(xml_data) SELECT @xml; SELECT * FROM @tbl'
INSERT INTO @receiveTable

EXEC (@strSQL
)
SET @xml_data = (SELECT * FROM @receiveTable
)
SELECT @xml_data

So how do I now take the XML and parse it back into a table structure format WITHOUT predefining the structure? Any XML gurus out there that are reading this… help would be greatly appreciated!! :)

(Now the question is not whether or not I should or shouldn’t be doing this with the dynamic sql and the xml and my formatting, etc… this is strictly a “Can it be done” question)

I’ll also be updating this and posting the solution or my acceptance that it just can’t be done

» XML

Parsing XML into a Table Structure… Possible? UPDATE

Parsing XML into a Table Structure… possible?