T-SQL Parse XML Response in table format - sql

Question

I am struggling with parsing an XML Response I have. I need the header values to be columns and the record values to be the data inside their respective rows. Below is a sample of a return with the header values and 1 record.
Where records show xsi:nil="true" would be NULL
<env:Envelope xmlns:env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<env:Header/>
<env:Body>
<ns2:getReportResultResponse xmlns:ns2="http://service.apiendpoint.com">
<return>
<header>
<values>
<data>CUSTOMER NAME</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP A</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP B</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP C</data>
<data>DISPOSITION PATH</data>
<data>FIRST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LAST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LIST NAME</data>
</values>
</header>
<records>
<values>
<data>Mark Smith</data>
<data>12</data>
<data>19</data>
<data>23</data>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data>Tier 1</data>
</values>
</records>
</return>
</ns2:getReportResultResponse>
</env:Body>
</env:Envelope>

Answer 1

declare #x xml = N'
<env:Envelope xmlns:env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<env:Header/>
<env:Body>
<ns2:getReportResultResponse xmlns:ns2="http://service.apiendpoint.com">
<return>
<header>
<values>
<data>CUSTOMER NAME</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP A</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP B</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP C</data>
<data>DISPOSITION PATH</data>
<data>FIRST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LAST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LIST NAME</data>
</values>
</header>
<records>
<values>
<data>Mark Smith</data>
<data>12</data>
<data>19</data>
<data>23</data>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data>Tier 1</data>
</values>
<values>
<data>B</data>
<data>2</data>
<data>22</data>
<data>222</data>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="false" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/><!-- ?? -->
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data>Tier 2</data>
</values>
</records>
</return>
</ns2:getReportResultResponse>
</env:Body>
</env:Envelope>
';
select #x;
declare #sql nvarchar(max) = N'';
with xmlnamespaces ('http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/' as env, 'http://service.apiendpoint.com' as ns2)
select
#sql = #sql + ',r.rec.value(''data[' + cast(colid as nvarchar(10)) + '][not(#xsi:nil="true")]'', ''nvarchar(500)'') as ' + colname
from
(
select
quotename(hd.h.value('.', 'sysname')) as colname,
row_number() over(order by hd.h) as colid
from #x.nodes('/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/header/values/data') as hd(h)
) as src
order by colid;
select #sql = stuff(#sql, 1, 1, N'');
select #sql = N'with xmlnamespaces (''http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/'' as env, ''http://service.apiendpoint.com'' as ns2, ''http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance'' as xsi)
select
' + #sql + N'
from #x.nodes(''/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/records/values'') as r(rec)
';
exec sp_executesql #stmt = #sql, #params = N'#x xml', #x = #x;

Answer 2

Assuming you have your XML data in a SQL Server variable #XmlData, you could use this XQuery to get the column names ("headers"):
WITH XMLNAMESPACES ('http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/' AS env, 'http://service.apiendpoint.com' AS ns2)
SELECT
XCol.value('(.)[1]', 'varchar(50)')
FROM
#XmlData.nodes('/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/header/values/data') AS XHdr(XCol);
This is fairly straightforward, since you can assume every single header is really a string (therefore you can do the .value('(.)[1]', 'varchar(50)') call and be on the safe side).
However, for the data - as #Serg already mentioned in the comment - unless you can somehow know (or find out) what the data elements' datatypes are, this is going to be trickier... Using the same approach - assuming everything is a string - would work - but then you might be losing valuable information about your data bits:
WITH XMLNAMESPACES ('http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/' AS env, 'http://service.apiendpoint.com' AS ns2)
SELECT
XCol.value('(.)[1]', 'varchar(50)')
FROM
#XmlData.nodes('/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/records/values/data') AS XData(XCol)

Answer 3

Here is another solution. It is very close to the #lptr's method.
It is using XQuery and FLWOR expression to construct a dynamic SELECT clause of the final SQL statement.
SQL
DECLARE #x xml = N'
<env:Envelope xmlns:env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<env:Header/>
<env:Body>
<ns2:getReportResultResponse xmlns:ns2="http://service.apiendpoint.com">
<return>
<header>
<values>
<data>CUSTOMER NAME</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP A</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP B</data>
<data>DISPOSITION GROUP C</data>
<data>DISPOSITION PATH</data>
<data>FIRST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LAST DISPOSITION</data>
<data>LIST NAME</data>
</values>
</header>
<records>
<values>
<data>Mark Smith</data>
<data>12</data>
<data>19</data>
<data>23</data>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data>Tier 1</data>
</values>
<values>
<data>B</data>
<data>2</data>
<data>22</data>
<data>222</data>
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data xsi:nil="false" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/><!-- ?? -->
<data xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
<data>Tier 2</data>
</values>
</records>
</return>
</ns2:getReportResultResponse>
</env:Body>
</env:Envelope>';
DECLARE #sql NVARCHAR(MAX) = N''
, #separator CHAR(1) = ',';
WITH XMLNAMESPACES ('http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/' as env, 'http://service.apiendpoint.com' as ns2)
SELECT #sql = #x.query('
for $r in /env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/header/values/data
let $pos := count(env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/header/values/data[. << $r]) + 1
let $line := concat("c.value(''(data[", string($pos), "]/text())[1]'', ''VARCHAR(50)'') AS [", string(($r/text())[1]),"]")
return if ($r is (/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/header/values/data[last()])[1]) then string($line)
else concat($line, sql:variable("#separator"))
').value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)');
SET #sql = N';WITH XMLNAMESPACES (''http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/'' as env, ''http://service.apiendpoint.com'' as ns2)
SELECT ' + #sql + N'
FROM #x.nodes(''/env:Envelope/env:Body/ns2:getReportResultResponse/return/records/values'') AS t(c)
';
EXEC sp_executesql #stmt = #sql, #params = N'#x xml', #x = #x;
Output
+---------------+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-----------+
| CUSTOMER NAME | DISPOSITION GROUP A | DISPOSITION GROUP B | DISPOSITION GROUP C | DISPOSITION PATH | FIRST DISPOSITION | LAST DISPOSITION | LIST NAME |
+---------------+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-----------+
| Mark Smith | 12 | 19 | 23 | NULL | NULL | NULL | Tier 1 |
| B | 2 | 22 | 222 | NULL | NULL | NULL | Tier 2 |
+---------------+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+------------------+-------------------+------------------+-----------+